Vigilante 8: Second Offense
by Anguirus111
Summary: At the end of time, lies the beginning of vengeance...
1. Introductions

A/N: The original Vigilante 8 game took place in 1975 and Vigilante 8: Second Offense was to take place in 1977. However, per the back story I gave in part 1, I had to swing the years forward to 1977 for V8 and 1979 for this game. Concurrently, the future events now take place in 2019 rather than their original date for 2017. This really changes nothing in terms of what happened in the games seeing as I've taken liberties already with what the games portrayed in the interests of the storyline and this is the least of those changes.

_In 1977 when the oil supply stopped, the auto wars began…_

A multinational oil conglomerate with plans of global conquest attempted a hostile takeover of the United States of America through the help of a third party called the Coyote Cartel. The takeover consisted of attacking critical sites across the American Southwest in the hopes of weakening the country's infrastructure to the point of collapse. In the wake of such a threat, ordinary citizens rose up and became Vigilantes to combat this threat and so auto wars raged over the period of several months.

It was through their courage and dedication that they succeeded in halting the attempt to have America fall. The Coyotes were defeated and subsequently disbanded to various fates and with the fight over the Vigilantes too went their separate ways.

Chassey Blue, the ex-FBI Agent turned Hollywood actress found herself achieving whirlwind fame in the land of moving pictures. Her selling of her exploits during the auto wars and subsequent self-portrayal in the ensuing film brought her to the attention of the country at large that turned out in droves to see her films show a positive aspect to the country that had long been missing. But by 1979, she found herself tiring of her lavish constantly in the spotlight lifestyle and in rare moments found herself longing once more for her days as a vigilante.

John Torque wound up purchasing that Thunderbolt he'd been longing for to replace his Jefferson. With no desire to go back into the weapons field, he took Chassey's advice and became a bounty hunter. With local law enforcement still tied up in preserving the peace in the major metropolitan areas, the criminals operating on the fringe of society largely unabated. And so the government reinstated the bounty system for anyone interested in helping clean up the country and make a little cash on the side. But although the thrill of catching criminals was a good substitute for the thrill of auto wars he had previously waged, over time as the number of criminals decreased, it became harder and harder to get that rush. And so John was one of the best, which so John began tracking bigger and bigger targets, no matter the danger to his vehicle and himself. So in 1979 he found himself chasing a target that had been loosely affiliated with the Coyotes back in the day. Her name was Nina Loco and apparently she had been selling Site 4 weaponry to the highest bidders.

Sheila for her part wound up heading to California as well and began attending college there. Although she majored in Political Science, she often took Criminology courses as well. By 1979, she had nearly finished her studies and was ready to join the FBI Academy but one thing was holding her back from joining. She felt she needed a dynamite personal reference to get in, but where she could find that reference she didn't know.

As for Convoy and Houston, they stuck together over the years, each enjoying company on their long road back to normalcy. Together they successfully opened a new trucking venture and the trucker would always take the former OMAR agent for trips across the country in hopes of sparking memories of her forgotten past. In the meantime, the two had found themselves enjoying each others company greatly and in 1979, the two had gotten married in a low key ceremony attended by John, Chassey, and Sheila. They had tried to get a hold of Slick Clyde, but all Chassey's remaining FBI contacts would admit to, were unconfirmed reports that he was up to something in Central America. But his absence couldn't dampen their spirits and everyone found themselves greatly enjoying each other's company.

And although each of them secretly found themselves hoping for something exciting to allow them to once more take up the cause of vigilantism, there were no current threats on the horizon that they found themselves anticipating popping up. So when they returned to their lives beyond each other, they found that pit in their stomachs growing ever more heavily as the days went on. A feeling they felt would never be lifted.

But they were wrong and would be proven wrong very shortly. A new threat was on the horizon and it was going to be one of the most dangerous the former vigilantes would ever face. For its power derived from the fact that it knew all of the Vigilantes strengths and their weaknesses and had been observing them for some time waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

For this new adversary had once been one of their most trusted allies.

September, 1979: Convoy's truck headed down the road for parts unknown to deliver yet another cargo of goods and supplies to those who needed them. In the passenger seat sat Houston as always but unlike the alert trucker, she was fast asleep. And although normally Convoy found peace on the road looking at her calm features, lately she had become more and more unsettled every time she woke up.

It had started simply enough with her suddenly jerking awake in a cold sweat but not knowing why. But it had steadily gotten worse as the months rolled on with her waking up screaming on more than one occasion. And soon she began remembering parts of her nightmares with images of death and destruction raining down from above with no way of stopping it.

Convoy was a little disturbed by her dreams but so far nothing had happened and that was at least of some relief to the two of them. After all, like he'd told that CIA Agent those years ago, there was no sense worrying over something you couldn't prepare for.

And so the trucker continued his daily trek across the country, nearing the town of Winslow, Arizona where his cargo was due and after that he was going to take a long vacation to someplace far away.

In the distance, flashes of lightning could be seen.

The Future: In a vast complex made of pipe and steel a storm was brewing that unleashed torrential rain upon the many smokestacks that peppered the area. In the center of this complex arose a tall tower with a large bulbous structure atop it. On the very top level sat a largely darkened and empty room with the exception of one very long conference table with chairs along it while beyond it sat a single desk with a computer on it next to a group of filing cabinets.

At the desk, an old man with completely gray hair was working on the computer and consulting various pieces of paper as the storm raged against the glass windows behind him in silence.

FWOOOSHH

The man paused in his work as a pair of automatic doors was heard opening and light spilled in from the outside. A shadow appeared in the light and soon its source was revealed to be a young-Asian in a business suit in her mid to late 20s. Her name was Keiko Uzumi, though her codename was Obake meaning 'Ghost', and she was the Old Man's second in command and adoptive daughter. Her biological father had been a competitor of the old man's for many years before his company, Uzumi Power, had been purchased outright by the company whose name was emblazoned on the long table she was now passing, The Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime. Following this personal defeat, the elder Uzumi just vanished leaving young Keiko all alone with nothing but a handful of martial arts training and a ceremonial katana that had been passed down through the generations of her family.

When OMAR finally arrived at the Uzumi Company Headquarters, the seven-year old laid in wait for hours in one of the ventilation shafts waiting to enact revenge on the invaders. And finally after several hours of being cold, tired, and hungry, she witnessed as an older man appeared below in her father's office and took his seat and began looking through the files completely alone and seemingly defenseless. Though her training told her to never attack an unarmed opponent, her desire for vengeance overrode that and so she dropped from the shaft and took a posture to rush the man and kill him.

But she was much weaker than she had realized and had barely made it two steps before collapsing on the floor in pain. The old man did not show any surprise at her appearance but instead gave a warm smile and helped her into a seat opposite the desk and subsequently offered her food and drink.

As she began feasting to get her strength up so she could then kill the man, the older individual introduced himself as Lord Clyde, one of the top executives of OMAR, and that he had been the one to personally show interest in Uzumi Power and led the efforts to acquire it. He also said that he knew who she was and also knew why she had come. He then promised her a chance for honorable combat between the two of them in the office. If she won and killed him, she'd be free to leave no questions asked but if he won, she would agree to become his protégé.

With little other chance for revenge, she immediately agreed and so the two soon found themselves standing in the office opposite each other, she with her katana and he with a mere cane with a crystal atop it. When the battle started, Keiko rushed the man with all of her remaining strength and was immediately subdued as the old man lifted his cane and pointed it straight at her and fired off an electrical bolt from it that ripped the katana from her hands and caused her to collapse once more onto the ground in pain. She had just enough strength left to witness Lord Clyde take her katana and snap it in half over his knee before she slipped into unconsciousness.

When she finally came to she found herself in a bed in a room that she didn't recognize with all of the things from her old room piled in a corner. Quickly brandishing a rod that she snapped off of her dresser, Keiko cautiously emerged from her room only to find herself in a giant mansion filled with countless empty rooms. The only sounds that could be heard were coming from the kitchen and so she burst in only to find the old man preparing her breakfast.

Welcoming her in, the old man sat her at the table and immediately presented her with two gifts, the first was a new katana blade built from some of the hardest steel in the world and razor sharp to the point that it could slice through anything. The second was an adoption paper that permanently made her part of his family…and by extension OMAR's.

'_Your old life is over, your new life begins,_' he told her simply. And he was right, though it took her several years to realize what that truly meant.

Her Present: "Ah, Keiko, please sit down," offered Lord Clyde as he turned to a coffee machine and his right and set it to brew some herbal tea. "I trust you were successful in your mission?"

The question was a merely formality, she knew that he already had been briefed by his advisors, but it was his way of letting her tell her version of what had happened.

"Yes father," agreed Keiko as she produced a dossier and placed it on his desk. "As you know, I was assigned a mission to obtain prototype time travel capsules that had been recently developed and successfully tested at Stanford University. I was inserted along with a fellow operative into the United States whereupon we infiltrated the university and summarily appropriated the devices and regrouped with OMAR affiliates in Canada. I was then transported back to OMAR Headquarters here in Kuwait City…along with the body of the agent whom I infiltrated America with."

Keiko fell silent at that as her father sipped his tea to try and give her some brief moments to compose herself. Her fellow agent had been a man named Darius who was almost as good as she was in the art of stealthy infiltration. He was also Keiko's best friend since even before she became Lord Clyde's adoptive daughter and he had joined OMAR at her request. Together the two had been a great asset for OMAR and Lord Clyde over the years and only grown closer as a result, even despite Clyde's constant reminders of the dangers of being too closely attached to someone, especially in their line of work.

That something had finally happened caused no measure of satisfaction from the old man. He had learned long ago to never let anyone into his life whom he couldn't keep at arms length in case something went wrong. To some it might have seemed a terrible way to live, for example he had never once outwardly expressed any sort of love for Keiko, but it had kept him alive all of these years.

"I think he'd want you to remember the good times and get on with your life," stated Lord Clyde in an eerie echo of words he'd said years earlier when he had been a completely different sort of man than he was now. "Enjoy life while you can because who's to say where or when the next threat may come from."

Keiko gave an affirmative response to that and sniffled briefly before collecting herself and breathing out her inner emotions to once more arrive at a state of peace.

"Besides, you succeeded in your mission and that's what matters most," her father continued. "At last we have the opportunity we have been waiting for. Finally, America will fall to OMAR!"

Keiko nodded her head enthusiastically as Lord Clyde finished his tea and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and got up as Keiko did the same. The two left the room and walked into the elevator and went down a single floor before emerging in a giant hanger. But rather than having airplanes or helicopters there, instead there rested three vehicles, a Palamino XIII, Obake's Tsunami motorcycle, and finally Lord Clyde's pride and joy, his Excelsior Stretch Limousine.

"Sir, all time travel devices have been installed and are operating at maximum efficiency," said a technician who saluted his boss. Lord Clyde nodded his head appreciatively before turning to another group of scientists who were clustered around an individual in the room.

"And how is our patient?" asked the old man. The scientists pulled back to reveal a human-sized robot who was just no powering up.

"Awaiting your orders, sir," said one of them. The old man cleared his throat before turning to the robot.

"Dallas 13, activate!" he told the robot. The eyes on the machine began glowing as the robot came to life.

"DALLAS 13, ONLINE!" the robot declared as Clyde smiled.

"Excellent, excellent," he complimented the robot. "You know where I came from Dallas was a city in Texas, which makes you a cowboy. And you can't be a cowboy without a hat."

Lord Clyde walked over to his limousine and reached in a grabbed a cowboy hat that he promptly placed on the robot's head before producing a bandana and wrapping it around the bottom half of its face. The old man then took a few steps back and admired his work before looking down at the two six shooters attached to the robot's sides.

"Draw!" he ordered before jerking up his cane only to find the robot's guns already pointed at him.

"Hahahahaha, nice!" declared the old man with a vicious grin on his face. He lowered his cane as the robot did the same. But then its pressure sensors indicated a force being pressed on the back of its neck and it swiveled its head to see the Obake pressing a katana blade against him.

"You'll have to forgive her, old habits die hard," the old man apologized as Obake returned her sword to its sheath on her back. "Be careful with that hat, though, it was mine a long time ago and I'm entrusting you to take care of it."

The robot nodded its head and subsequently walked over towards its vehicle, the Palamino, as Lord Clyde turned to Obake.

"Are the travel arrangements ready?" he asked. Obake nodded her head.

"Yes, we are a go for reinsertion into the United States of America," she confirmed.

"Then let's go. I've waited over forty years for this for this day and I don't want to wait a moment longer," he ordered and then immediately headed for his vehicle as Obake did the same. The hanger door tilted upwards revealing the stormy sky beyond as the three vehicles tilted upwards and then flew off into the night. They continued through the battering rainstorm until a pair of lights and a loud chopping noise was heard as a cargo plane appeared battling the storm as well. The three vehicles took up a flanking position behind it as the rear bay door opened. And as soon as it did, the three vehicles landed inside of it and were secured as the bay doors closed and the plane made its way for the land of the free and the home of the brave. The trio subsequently emerged from their vehicles and strapped themselves in to the sides aligning the side of the plane.

"Wake me when we hit Mexico," requested the Old Man as he picked his old cowboy hat off of the robot and leaned back in his seat and placed the hat over his face as he soon began snoring away. Dallas 13 turned to look at him as it processed its orders.

_Directives: Protect Lord Clyde, Follow Lord Clyde's Orders, Protect Obake._

_Goals: Ensure the fall of America to Lord Clyde and The Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime by time travelling to the 1970s when America was collectively at its weakest following the failed Coyote Invasion of 1977._

_Query: Background Information on Lord Clyde…._

_Processing….Processing…Processing…_

_Identification: Lord Clyde_

_Previous Aliases: Slick Clyde_

_Family: Adopted Daughter, Keiko Uzumi. All Other Information Classified_

_Group Affiliation: Ex-Vigilante team member; Previous leader of the Coyote Cartel following the disappearance of former leader Sid Burn; Former Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime board member; Currently OMAR President and CEO following a violent power struggle resulting in the deaths of several fellow board members._

_Bio: Lord Clyde first came to prominence in the 1970s under his given name of Slick Clyde. He joined the Vigilantes to combat the OMAR funded Coyote Cartel who sought to destroy America's infrastructure and thus forever be dependent on OMAR support._

_Following the defeat of the Cartel, and for reasons unknown at the time, Slick Clyde began referring to himself solely as Lord Clyde and assumed control over the Cartel. With his leadership skills and seemingly uncanny knowledge of OMAR's infrastructure and resources in Mexico and Central America, he summarily captured numerous oil and mineral reserves throughout South America and subsequently attracted OMAR's attention. The Coyote Cartel and its holdings were subsequently absorbed into OMAR proper in the year 1996 and Lord Clyde was made a temporary member of the executive board as a result._

_Rather than merely sit on the board and issue orders, Clyde instead worked hand in hand with units across the world in their efforts to undermine governmental organizations across the world. As a result he began growing an ever loyal base of support from the lower ranking OMAR members and used that power to make himself a permanent member of the OMAR Executive Board. It was as part of the board that he acquired Uzumi Power and subsequently adopted Keiko Uzumi as his second in command._

_As time rolled on, Clyde's power only increased as the remaining board members became began pooling their resources against him. In 2015, they struck and a violent war erupted between their respective assets. In the end Lord Clyde at a detriment to his physical health and subsequently had the remaining board members executed, but took pity on their underlings who were merely following orders. In the end he had an OMAR that was much more united that it had ever been before in the past._

_There was just one problem. The infighting had taxed OMAR's resources and now the nations it had under its control were beginning to fight back with the aid of the untouched United States. OMAR did not have the resources to go after the superpower and so Lord Clyde's options were limited._

_But then fate intervened. Stanford Research University, using radically advanced recovered technology succeeded in cracking the mysteries of time travel. Which has led to the mission they were currently on. The key to defeating America lay in the past and Lord Clyde knew this, which is why he obtained the time travel capsules and intended on using them to devastating effect._

_Inquiry Concluded._

With this in mind, the robot summarily began acquainting itself with the 1970s and the profiles of the enemies to come. Of particular interest was an ex-OMAR cyborg named Houston…

September 19, 1979: Houston awoke screaming as Convoy did his best to calm down while still trying to keep his eye on the road.

"Calm down, it's me Convoy, we're safe!" he shouted at her. Houston was now in tears as she looked out at the horizon where a storm was brewing.

"It's too late," said Houston utterly defeated as she gazed intently at one particular spot ahead of them. "THEY'RE HERE!"

Convoy snapped his head forward as three flashes of light occurred inside the storm and then three flying cars erupted from them headed straight for the trucker. Then each one subsequently opened fire and rained death and destruction upon the helpless vehicle. And throughout it all, the maniacal laughter of an unseen figure emanated across the CB radio.

_At the end of time lies the beginning of vengeance…_


	2. Introductions II

A/N: Very little of the last chapter and this one are going to make sense because they're out of sequence due to the nature of time travel. I may end up writing a chronology but I'm not sure yet. Additionally, Loki and Y's fate and a scene that I deleted from Vigilante 8 featuring the conversation between 'Y' The Alien, Dave, and Sheila will materialize at some point as well, though likely at the end of the story because it sets up the events of the third story in this trilogy(of which there was no game).

1977, Colorado: "Beautiful, absolutely beautiful!" said Lord Clyde as he reveled in the circumstances he now found himself in. To Obake, the side of the road they were parked on looked like any other, albeit with dilapidated vehicles left and right and serious signs of urban decay. And so she raised an eyebrow at her father's bizarre behavior.

"Ah, I guess you couldn't really understand but for me this is like a real homecoming," the old man responded ecstatic. "I haven't been to America in nearly forty years and to come back here around the time I left is indescribable. It feels great."

"Whatever makes you happy, papa," she responded offhand before looking around. "But why here and why now?"

"Oh, because I didn't want to take a risk that the time capsules might only work once so I brought us back to the earliest time where we can operate with only needing to traverse space and not time. That and I wanted to see some old acquaintances again," he responded as a car raced past the three vehicles and stopped at a nearby motel and an African-American woman emerged.

"That is an enigmatic woman named Auntie Entity," Lord Clyde explained. "Although she might not look to be anyone of much importance, that couldn't be further from the truth. Auntie is secretly the founder of OMAR and its current CEO although none of the other board members know this. Thanks to her subterfuge, they merely think of her as a third-party that OMAR contracts business out to when the situation demands it. She's a very smart woman and a dangerous one too so I'm also here to see that her power base erodes to the point that she's no longer a threat to our operations two years from now."

Obake nodded her head, though she didn't fully understand the complexities of her father's plan. Quantum mechanics was not her strongest field in the various courses her father had provided personal tutors for, but she would do her best to manage.

"And those are the Coyote Cartel's vehicles?" she asked, looking at the motley assortment of vehicles parked outside.

"Very good, now can you identify them and their respective drivers?" asked Lord Clyde as a test of her mental skills.

"1973 Glenn 4x4 owned by Loki. 1975 Palamino operated by Houston 3. 1976 Leprechaun owned by Boogie. 1967 Stag Pickup owned by Beezwax. 1966 School Bus appropriated by Molo. Finally, and I believe it is currently parked inside the motel's lobby, a 1969 Manta owned by Coyote Leader Sid Burn," Obake responded crisply as she viewed the vehicles through her binoculars. Her father nodded his head appreciatively.

"Do you have plans on recruiting the survivors into our plans?" asked Obake curiously. Lord Clyde shrugged.

"I suppose it couldn't hurt to have more temporal natives in our little group. I had planned on recruiting Nina Loco since she has a good stockpile of the Site 4 weaponry but I suppose drafting Molo and Boogie couldn't hurt either," he agreed. "At least with those two, we could easily stop them if they went rogue."

The sounds of vehicles coming to life interrupted their conversation as each focused on the Coyotes moving out to their vehicles and getting ready to move.

"We should depart as well once they pass us," the old man ordered as the two got back into their vehicles. A couple moments later, the Coyotes passed by and then Molo's bus swerved left and right as the three vehicles shot straight up into the air and raced off.

"REQUEST COORDINATES," asked Dallas 13 as the vehicles continued on their straight path over the Rocky Mountains.

"Mexico City. We have an appointment with Number Three," answered Lord Clyde with an evil grin across his face.

1979, Arizona: Convoy tried his best to perform evasive maneuvers while still driving down the highway as the three flying cars behind him continued their assault. One of the vehicles, a flying motorcycle-like object with the front red nose cone painted like a shark began a rapid approach to his vehicle.

2019, Stanford University: Agent R. Chase of the CIA was examining the destroyed lab facility along with the dead bodies of scientists and security guards that littered the floors. Normally a murder and theft investigation would be the local police and FBI's jurisdiction, but with Keiko Uzumi involved, they'd naturally called in the one man who was the expert on Lord Clyde.

"And what did they take?" he asked of the head of the institute.

"I'm not at liberty to say," said the head unapologetically. "I realize that will hinder your investigation, but we all have our superiors to answer to."

Chase groaned at that as he stood up and finished writing some notes on his notepad.

"Well until you plan on being more forthcoming, I can't help you recover whatever OMAR stole," he responded coldly. "If you change your mind, you know where to reach me."

The Agent then summarily left and returned to his vehicle and immediately headed back to his office…in the basement of the local CIA Office.

"Hey gorgeous did you miss me?" he said as he entered his office. On the far wall hung a movie poster of Chassey Blue from her self-titled film debut.

"Yeah, I thought as much. Turns out your old friend Slick Clyde is causing problems again surprise, surprise. I don't know why you ever trusted him,"

"We had to, he was one of us," came a response from nowhere as R. Chase pulled out his gun and aimed it out the open door of his office. Instantly several individuals in suits filed into the room and aimed their weapons at him.

"_Secret Service, but that would mean…_," Chase realized as an elderly woman entered into his office. "Madam President, please sit down!"

R. Chase nearly leapt over his desk to offer the only other chair in the room to the former President of the United States and former Vigilante, Sheila.

"I…what brings you to my office this late at night? It can't be the coffee," he remarked lightly while trying to collect his thoughts about this new arrival. Sheila gave a grin at that before her expression turned more melancholy.

"I hear that my former colleague has once again shown interest in the United States," she said simply. Chase nodded his head but said nothing in response. Sheila would know what had transpired in Stanford and he saw no reason to repeat the facts.

"I suppose you want to know what he stole?" she asked knowingly. That got the CIA Agent's attention as he immediately sat up and leaned forward.

"Not here," she responded and got up and offered her arm to the Agent. Chase immediately walked around the table and hooked his arm around hers to help her walk and both proceeded to the exit, but not before passing the Chassey Blue poster.

"Oh, Chassey," remarked Sheila sadly as she hesitantly placed her hand on the poster.

"What was she like?" asked the Agent. He'd seen her movies and some documentaries on the star, but Sheila was one of the few who'd known the true person.

"She was my big sister," responded the former President simply. "And she always did what was right no matter what the consequences were. It was that mantra that I've tried to live up to all these years."

Chase nodded and then the two left the room as Chase turned off the light darkening the room and the image of the FBI Agent turned movie actors.

1979, Arizona: Obake's Tsunami ripped along the side of the road between the truck and the guardrail overlooking the nearby canyon wall. Convoy intentionally slammed his truck into it causing the vehicle to go over the guardrail. But to his dismay the vehicle immediately hovered in the air rather then drop to its doom and soon was right back where it started before dropping out of flight mode and driving directly underneath the trailer where the trucker couldn't see it.

1977, Mexico City: Explosions tore up the compound as the three vehicles from the future infiltrated the compound. The three vehicles were protected by energy shields that were absorbing the impact being directed at them.

"I wish I could see the look on Three's face right now," said Lord Clyde disappointed. Flamethrowers were now used on the vehicles, again to no avail as smoke covered the compound. Lord Clyde subsequently activated the chain lightning special weapon on the rear of his vehicle and electrical bolts streamed outwards and slammed into the building ripping large chunks off of the façade.

"By order of the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime, you are ordered to exit your vehicles and surrender yourself to our custody," said the voice of a man who was far too brave for what the situation called for.

"Obake, Dallas, deploy!" he ordered, all business. Dallas 13 emerged from his vehicle and began shooting everyone in sight as Obake also rushed the battlefield with her blade and chopped her way through even more guards. After the two had made their way inside the building, he stepped out of his vehicle and admired the structure ahead of him. Long ago, he had worked out of this building when he was just getting started on his new life with the Coyote Cartel, and a rush of memories came with it. It had been his first real test of leadership and although it was also a stressful time in his life, the ultimate rewards had been well worth it.

"_Which reminds me, while I'm here I should probably have a talk with my younger self to try and reassure him that the road ahead is one worth taking_," the CEO decided and then proceeded into the building proper.

2019, Location Unknown: R. Chase now found himself in a testing facility somewhere in the San Francisco Bay area. In a side office, the situation from earlier was now reversed as Sheila sat behind the desk and R. Chase in front.

"So what was it OMAR stole?" repeated Sheila from earlier. "Put simply, a time capsule."

"Was there anything important in it?" asked Chase once more with pad and pen. Sheila laughed at that.

"Sorry, I guess I'm using lingo you don't fully understand," she explained. "They stole a time capsule that was developed at Stanford for the purpose of travelling through time."

Chase dropped his pen at that and bent over to pick it up.

"I-I'm sorry," he stammered confused. "I thought you just said…"

"I did," Sheila confirmed. "And I strongly suspect that Clyde intends to use it to travel to the late 1970s and cause America to fall under OMAR's reign."

Chase had no response for that save one. "But if that's true then how are we having this conversation?"

"Quantum mechanics is a curious thing but right now Lord Clyde is still in our timeframe and hasn't left yet. But he's going to very soon and you have to stop him," Sheila told him desperately. Chase's mind was now moving at a mile a minute as heard that.

"Okay, then we have to determine where he is right now and stop him from travelling through time," the Agent declared as he immediately got up.

"It's too late for that!" shouted Sheila. "He's already inside the United States and is going to be jumping at any minute now."

"Then we've lost," said Chase defeated since he didn't see any other options of stopping the CEO. Sheila shook her head.

"No, we have one other option and its sitting outside that window," she responded before pointing out the window. Chase turned around to see a group of scientists, engineers, and mechanics servicing a lone vehicle.

"A Stinger?" asked Chase confused. Sheila shook her head.

"Not anymore, now it's a Chrono Stinger," she revealed as she got up and headed out the door to the vehicle.

"Chrono as in time?" asked Chase. Sheila nodded.

"We have one prototype ChronoWarp left and have upgraded this vehicle to survive the journey into the past," Sheila told him. "_Your_ journey into the past…"

Chase's eyes bugged out at that. "No, no, no, I'm not qualified for this!"

"You're the only one who is. You know Lord Clyde and you know the 1970s. And most importantly, you weren't alive back then," Sheila pointed out cryptically. "We've prepared a survival kit for you with all the information you'll need for this journey. But you have to leave, now!"

Chase looked at her and the vehicle hesitantly. This had been a lot to take in only five minutes or so and a voice in the back of his head wanted to think she was crazy. But for all she had done for the country both as a Vigilante, as head of the FBI, and finally as President, he knew he had to believe her.

"Right," he agreed before pulling out his sunglasses and slapping them on.

"Excellent. The time device is prepped all you have to do is drive. The kit will explain everything else. Good luck Agent Chase," said the President as he got in the car and she closed the door for him. Chase just shook his head in bewilderment before slamming on the accelerator. The car raced forward down the research laboratory before Chase reached over and hit a button on the ChronoWarp and the vehicle vanished in a brilliant white light.

1979, Arizona: The Tsunami dropped several spikes on the road causing the tires on the trailer to burst and the truck to swerve out of control. Convoy immediately slammed on the brakes as a guardrail loomed ever closer in the front windows.

1977, Colorado: Lord Clyde stood in his window looking down at the sleeping form of Slick Clyde who was sitting next to a lit trashcan outside the Busted Hump Ski Resort.

"So what do you think?" he asked of Keiko was also looking out the window next to him. She considered it for a few moments before responding.

"He's almost as lazy as you are, papa," Keiko teased. Lord Clyde began laughing at that.

"Oh, but he is going to change the world in ways he cannot yet realize," the old man whispered before pulling out a radio device. "Dallas 13, engage hologram and voice changing mode."

Down below, Dallas 13 in the image of Lord Clyde took a seat opposite the playboy and began engaging in a conversation with him about the dangers of friendship before Lord Clyde turned off the light and went to sleep.

1977, San Francisco: A nighttime breeze swept through a deserted alleyway as a cat lazily curled up to sleep next to a trash can.

Crackle…Crackle…Crackle…

The cat's hair immediately stood on end as electrical arcs swept through the alleyway as the cat woke up and began hissing angrily.

BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

A brilliant flash followed by a sonic boom shook the alleyway throwing garbage cans and debris everywhere as the Chrono Stinger appeared from the flash and raced down the alleyway before racing onto the nearby street.

Inside his car, R. Chase wasn't sure what astounded him more: that he was still alive or that he was now supposedly in the 1970s, a time before he was even born.

Driving a little further, he hit the brakes and immediately disembarked from his vehicle and raced over to a destroyed newspaper dispenser. Pulling it open, he retrieved the paper and read the day, which clearly indicated that he was in the decade he was supposed to be. He was at a loss as to what to do next before he remember the silver case inside the car and he immediately retrieved it and placed it on the hood of the vehicle and popped it open.

Inside the case was a screen embedded in the center of the foam padding while next to it was a standard issue pistol that he immediately put it in his holster while also removing his futuristic electric pistol and placing it in the spot in the case. He then looked up at the other side of the case and pulled out several dollar bills of varying denominations, each being authentic to the time period, and also produced a credit card that he also pocketed. The rest of the case had numerous other items of interest such as maps, a history book, and other assorted items. The only other item of interest was a PDA that evidently contained all of the information in the books and apparently a lot more.

After he had made a note of each item, the agent subsequently returned his attention to the screen and pressed a button next to it. The screen immediately lifted up and faced outwards as it crackled to life.

"Greetings Agent Chase, I'm going to try and make this brief because Lord Clyde is likely changing history as we speak," said the image of Sheila on the screen. "Simply put, Lord Clyde has been looking for a way to undermine America for years and these time devices are his way of accomplishing that. Now, we don't fully know what his plan to accomplish that is, only that it will likely involve events taking place in the 1970s because that was when this country was at its weakest due to the actions of the Coyote Cartel. What you need to do is figure out what that plan is and put a stop to it. If you need assistance, you are welcome to contact myself and the other Vigilantes following the auto war, but try and minimize temporal pollution to the time stream. There are instructions and equipment in the trunk of your vehicle as well as the PDA that John Torque should be able to replicate to give the present day Vigilantes a chance against Clyde's futuristic technology if it proves necessary. In the meantime, the ChronoWarp has the capability to track the movements of the time devices in Lord Clyde's possession. The specifics of how to do this are also in the PDA present in this case.

I don't need to tell you how vital your mission is to the future of not only the United States, but also the entire world. Do what you have to do stop him. Good luck, Agent Chase. If you have any further questions, please consult the PDA."

The image blinked out as the monitor returned to its original place in the case. The Agent looked up and out at the moon in the nighttime sky before curtly nodding his head and getting back in his vehicle and flying off into the sky towards Mexico City. The tracking application of the PDA indicated Clyde was there and the CIA Agent vowed to find out what he was up to.

1979, Arizona: Despite his pressure on the brakes, Convoy's truck slammed into the guardrail and became stuck as it overlooked the canyon lands far below.

1977, USAF Base: The three vehicles from the future were fighting it out with the USAF high in the sky as down below, Dave and Sheila tried to figure out what was going on above the cloud cover.

"Dallas 13, report on download status from the USAF base!" shouted Lord Clyde over the roar of the bombers now currently harassing them.

"UPLOAD IS 75 PERCENT IN PROGRESS. HOWEVER, SENSORS INDICATE REMOTE LINKAGE FROM EXTERNAL SOURCE BELOW," Dallas reported. Lord Clyde's eyes narrowed at that before it occurred to him what that meant.

"That'd be Dave," he responded. "Don't give him access to your files, but he's welcome to whatever you download."

"AFFIRMATIVE," was the curt response before the radio cut off.

"Looks like I'm also picking up a small circular object on my scanners," said Obake nonchalantly as one of the bombers exploded right next to her, throwing debris everywhere.

"That'd be one of Dave's saucers," Lord Clyde confirmed. "Shoot at it if you can, but focus on the bombers."

"Understood," said Obake. "I should warn you that the final bomber is flying over Dave's coordinates and if I were to destroy it now…"

"You know what to do," Lord Clyde responded harshly at that. Obake nodded before she activated her vehicle's special weapon and her vehicle instantly became a thin blade that immediately sliced through the final bomber causing its debris to fall on Dave's van below.

"UPLOAD COMPLETE!" declared Dallas.

"Let's rock and roll!" shouted Lord Clyde as the three vehicles burst off towards the horizon in a blaze of speed, headed towards Portland.

1979, Arizona: Convoy and Houston pressed themselves up as far as they could against the back of the cab in the hopes of not tipping it over the edge. Behind them, the sounds of the three vehicles were heard lowering themselves to the ground and soon the lone sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the truck.

1977, Portland: Lord Clyde was downloading data from the OMAR central servers as Obake finished cleaning her blade due to the soldiers she'd just killed.

"If there was one place where I could never access the data from, this was it," the old man told his daughter. "After the Coyotes failed in their attack, American secured its borders to a much tighter extent than they ever had in the past and they also made sure that anything OMAR was immediately captured and driven out."

"Did they know of this place?" asked Obake, curious as he put her katana away.

"Yes they did and it became a real problem for OMAR in 2009. But because this place wasn't set up for wireless access, we really had no way of tapping the servers beforehand to drain them dry. That and quite frankly these devices were made with technology that was so far advanced that it's only in 2019 that we've developed even rudimentary technology to physically interface with them."

Obake nodded her head, surprised at that fact. "But then I have to ask, are the actions we're taking now always supposed to have happened or are we charting a new path in the time stream?"

"I don't know," confessed Lord Clyde as the upload finished. "I don't think anyone knows, really. I mean we planned what events we were going to change long before we actually travelled through time, but does that mean the future has changed? I couldn't tell you right now. And I'm not about to find out until we're done in this timeframe."

"So your memories of this time period are…?" began Obake as Lord Clyde pocketed his portable terminal.

"Hazy. But what I do know is that I have to put on that armband, everything depends on it. That is why when we're done here, I need to have a good chat with myself," he responded. "Now let's go see if Seven and Eight have figured out that it's not me they're talking to."

The two exited the room together.

1979, Arizona: Convoy and Houston both looked to the driver's side window as the footsteps drew ever closer. And then finally an old man with gray hair and a monocle appeared.

"Hello, Convoy, it's been a long time," the old man acknowledged. The trucker looked at the man confused.

"Do I know you?" he asked as the sounds of creaking from the truck drowned out some of his words.

"Yes, you do," the man confirmed as he stuck the end of his cane on the windowsill. "You're smart, you can figure it out."

Convoy eyed the man curiously, all the while keeping in mind the precarious position he was in. Something about the eyes and the expression and finally the cane and then everything clicked.

"It can't be…," said the trucker trying as hard as he could to not believe it. The man's subsequent sneer was enough to cause Convoy's blood to turn cold.

"**I've come through time to claim what's mine!**" Lord Clyde declared in an echo of words the trucker had partially heard two years earlier at the Galaxy Hotel in Las Vegas. And then Convoy knew everything even having been told nothing. That Slick, his former comrade, had finally fallen into the abyss.

"Don't do this, Slick!" the trucker pleaded, trying to find some shadow of the man he had known.

"I DON'T GO BY THAT NAME ANYMORE!" the old man spat at him. "Slick Clyde was too weak to stand up to you; but thanks to his courage and dedication, I am much more powerful than he ever was. And now at long last, I have defeated you just like I will the other Vigilantes and finally this country."

"You don't have to do this. You don't want to do this!" repeated the trucker. "You're still a Vigilante, you can still do what's right!"

"It's far too late for that now. Goodbye Convoy, it hasn't been pleasant!" Lord Clyde told him as he took his cane and slammed it into the release and the truck uncoupled from the trailer and plummeted from sight off the edge of the cliff. Lord Clyde watched it fall before turning his attention to Houston who was kneeling on the ground with Obake's katana resting against her neck. He had given specific instructions that the woman was to be removed from the vehicle and Obake had followed those instructions to the letter.

"I have kept you alive so you can tell the other Vigilantes that I have returned," he explained to her. "I am going to succeed where the Coyotes failed and if you or anyone else gets in my way, I will annihilate you. And you can tell John Torque that I'll be seeing him real soon."

The old man then turned and left as Obake did the same and all Houston could do was watch helplessly as the three vehicles departed into the skies above. And then helplessness gave way to anger as Houston's palms clenched together and she yelled angrily at skies above.

1977, Convoy's Truck Stop: Obake was performing some exercises with her katana as she thought about earlier events with Slick Clyde. Being confronted with and then fighting alongside a younger version of her adoptive father had been an experience she was still reeling from. True she had known that the Vigilantes were in the hotel, but she had never expected to see them, let alone meet the one that she did end up encountering.

And yet there she had been, performing her nightly exercises, when Slick Clyde had suddenly strode in and began asking about her weapon, a weapon that he would one day give her. It boggled the mind, but what more threw her was Slick's demeanor around her. What little background she could dig up on her father had briefly mentioned that he thought himself a ladies man and she had thought giving him the cold shoulder would prevent her from running into that part of his past. But it had never come. Instead, Slick had looked at her and treated like her Lord Clyde did. So in jest she referred to him as 'father' and he had taken the statement in stride, but all the while she couldn't help wondering if somehow despite the temporal difference, he could somehow sense their connection together.

That he had defended her with such veracity against OMAR's troops in some ways made her question her inner voice that sometimes liked to think that her father only saw her as a weapon and not a person, especially after his casual disregard for Darius over the years. That Slick had successfully voice activated both Dallas 13 and the Limousine with his fingerprint proved that they were the same man. It was all so confusing which is why Obake had decided to dedicate herself more to her training so to try and not think about it.

"Heh, I always wondered what happened to him," commented Lord Clyde as he exited the diner holding a newspaper. On the image read a headline about the discovery of an alien along with an image that was clearly of Loki while in the background was a crashed alien saucer that was being hauled away by a Grubb Dual Loader.

"Were you successful?" asked Obake of Lord Clyde's conversation with his younger self. Lord Clyde shrugged.

"I told him what I and he needed to hear, the rest is up to him now," the Old Man admitted. "But I do know one thing. Nothing can stop us now!"

The three vehicles subsequently roared off down the road headed for OMAR and finally a meeting with a trucker on the highway in 1979 near Winslow, Arizona.


	3. The Real Battle Begins

1979, Los Angeles: Chassey Blue's Rattler was on its last legs as it sputtered to a halt in front of the local FBI Building. In the past, she would have either been willing to fix it herself or with her fame and fortune, but in the last six months, everything in her life had rapidly fallen apart. Somehow the tabloids had found and published photos of herself and the Vice-President in a scandalous situation, an event that Chassey knew she had never been a participant. But the tabloids refused to believe her innocence and so her positive image in the public eye had rapidly disintegrated along with the movie job opportunities. The only offers she got were for a type of genre that she would never in a million years accept and so with little money left, she found herself about to beg for her job back from the organization she had hoped to never ever work for again.

"Hello, Ms. Blue, welcome back," said her old Director, not even bothering to hide his arrogance over her return, which is why he'd been eagerly waiting on the front steps of the building for her. "I still see you're driving that broken down hunk of junk, well we can take care of that."

Chassey was so weary from her previous ordeal that where before her blood would have boiled at the sound of that, now all she could manage was a weak stare. The Director laughed at that as behind her, her vehicle was attached to a tow truck and forcefully hauled off. Chassey watched go in complete silence as she whispered a silent thank you to her vehicle for being her one true friend and the hope that she would see the car again. As she turned around again, she found a dossier shoved in her face.

"What's this?" she asked looking at the title which read: 'Atypical Weather Disturbances and Localized Time Displacement Phenomena'.

"Your new mission that I'm sending you on right away," the Director answered. "You're new to our organization in my eyes and so I don't want you wasting our precious resources. Prove yourself on this mission and I may consider giving you an office…in the broom closet. Ahahahaha!"

Chassey glared at him before asking the next question on her mind. "Am I supposed to take public transportation to reach my destinations?"

The Director sighed. "Unfortunately, no because it seems the CIA is also interested in this little mission of yours and their pull with the Joint Chiefs supersedes mine. They've provided you with a new vehicle…and a partner."

Behind Chassey, a state of the art silver Vertigo was dropped off to the FBI Agent's surprise, complete with full weaponry. The sight of this new arrival somewhat lifted the Agent's spirits for the first time in awhile because if there was any vehicle she would've wanted to replace her Rattler, this would be it. But then the other part of what the Director had told her finally registered and she looked up at him suspiciously.

"I don't work with a partner," she responded angrily because right now the only people she wanted to help her with her mission were her former Vigilante comrades.

"Well you don't have any choice because due to the sensitivity of this mission, you cannot contact any of your former auto war comrades," he told her which caused Chassey to sputter in her attempts to word an angry retort to that. "Hey, don't blame me because this edict was passed down from those higher up than me. The only Vigilante you can contact is Sheila because she is now loosely affiliated with the Bureau as a provisional intern. You can start your mission, bring in Sheila if you must, but at some point the CIA Agent will find you. Work together and solve whatever is going on and then maybe things will improve for once in your life."

Chassey glared at him, but by that point the Director was already headed up the stairs away from her. Chassey took one last glance at her dossier before bounding down the stairs, eager to get away from the Director. She hopped in her vehicle where the keys were in the ignition and looked at her passenger seat to see her luggage from her Rattler had been transferred along with the license plates before Chassey slammed on the accelerator and took off.

Insider her head, her thoughts were a jumble as she tried to make sense of everything that had just happened.

"_Lousy Director…Time Displacement…CIA…I haven't heard of either of those last two since…oh no!_" she thought as realization hit her once more and she slammed on the brakes as her car slid to a halt in front of another vehicle that was blocking her path. In front of her sat a vehicle and a person leaning against it that she hadn't seen in nearly two years.

Agent R. Chase and his Chrono Stinger.

"Greetings Ms. Blue, I'm glad you finally got your mission specs," said Chase jovially behind his sunglasses. "You know I always had a hunch we'd be working together and now here we are. It's a dream come true."

Chassey's anger at this arrival overwhelmed her common sense as she stalked out of her vehicle and immediately slugged him.

Highway: A Blue Burro Prison Bus was moving along the road being escorted by a pair of police cars. Inside were numerous juvenile delinquents who had finally reached their eighteenth year of age and were being transferred to federal prisons to complete their sentences. For most, the long bus trip was one of quiet solitude with each occupant either thinking thoughts of fear or extreme anger at the situation they were now in. Only one was in complete bliss, not because of their situation but because of the vehicle they were now riding in.

Molo had always loved buses, which is why when the world had started to fall apart, he'd immediately stolen one of his school's buses and went out into the world to wreak his own havoc. He'd done alright for himself, falling in with OMAR and meeting his hero Sid Burn, but in the end everything had fallen apart and his bus had been destroyed by some unseen mysterious force and he was immediately tried and sent to juvenile detention. From his detention, he could only see buses from his window or on the television, but to now once more be in one and a beauty at that, made him almost forget the situation he now found himself in.

Almost. Molo longed for the open road and the chance to make his mark in society, but with a hefty prison term awaiting him, he doubted he'd ever see that dream come true. And so he sat in silence with his eyes closed, listening to the engine and the feel of the bus as it bounded down the pavement.

!

Molo's eyes immediately shot open as a foreign sound reached his ears. Looking over, he saw a motorcycle-like contraption, a futuristic Palamino, and a Limousine take up a flanking position next to the transport. Molo eyed the vehicles with interest as he had a nagging suspicion that he'd seen them before. And then he noticed the Palamino had no wheels and was floating above the surface of the ground that everything fell into place.

But before he could shout out his remembrance to the rest of the world, electricity began flying from the back of the limousine and then directed itself at the rear police escort, blowing it sky high. Panic then gripped the bus as the Palamino took up a position between the bus and the forward police escort and then the orange bulbous contraption on its forward hood came to life and fired an energy beam that vaporized the forward police escort.

As the inmates began thinking about rioting, all power in the bus abruptly died and it rolled to a halt. The guards and driver subsequently broke out their weapons and aimed them at the approaching vehicles which all came to a halt surrounding the bus. What happened after that, even Molo wasn't sure as electricity raced across the entire vehicle and he squeezed his eyes shut to try and avoid what was coming. But then the electricity subsided and the teenager found himself alone in the bus with none of the previous inmates or guards to be seen. As he blinked his eyes and then rubbed them to make sure he wasn't dreaming, the door to the bus swung open and an old man got onboard.

"Let me guess, the food was good but the service was lousy?" he asked lightly before briefly chuckling at his own joke. The teenager just looked at him in a stunned confusion before the man sat on the seat opposite to him and then held out the cane in his hand and fired electricity from it at the cuffs, unlocking them.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Molo, my name is Lord Clyde and I am the new face of OMAR and the Coyote Cartel," he told the passenger. "But more importantly, I have need of your services."

"Such as?" asked the teenager doubtfully.

"I am very busy right now with my hands in numerous operations at the moment and I simply don't have time to recruit new personnel into the Cartel for the upcoming auto wars skirmish. You on the other hand do have plenty of time and I need you to find some people for me and recruit them to our cause," the old man continued as he produced a dossier and set it on the seat next to the boy.

"Why should they join this 'cause' and why should I?" Molo asked annoyed with the thought of another attempt to make America fall.

"Maybe because I'm offering you a new change at life and the chance to become infamous?" the man brought up. "Or that I'm going to equip you with technology the likes of which this world has never seen before?"

Molo rolled his eyes at all of those suggestions.

"Or in your case because I'm willing to give you the bus?" the Old Man responded knowingly as the light subconsciously brightened in Molo's eyes.

"That's what I thought. In that dossier is all the information you need to find Nina Loco and Boogie and once you do, I'll return and issue further orders. Good luck Mr. Molo," said the old man getting up and silently leaving the bus. Outside, Molo watched them leave and then looked at the dossier before walking up to the front and turning on the engine as bliss entered his mind at once more being in control of such a powerful vehicle. He then chucked the dossier into the garbage can with an evil grin before he looked up ahead to see the three vehicles from earlier lift up into the sky and race off.

Gulping nervously, the teenager quickly pulled the dossier back out of the trash can and began reading through it thoroughly.

Berkley: Sheila yawned as she walked out of her class eager for the weekend. Ahead of her sat her new vehicle, a Wonderwagon, and it was all packed for her trip up the coast and nothing could stop her now.

!

The sound of a Samson Tow Truck coming to a halt greeted her ears as it was a sound she could recognize anywhere. Running over to Houston's tow truck, she was greeted by a steely expression from her aunt, an expression she'd adopted every time she heard about something OMAR had done.

"What's wrong?" asked Sheila concerned. Houston looked at her as if finally realizing where she was and then managed a brief smile that looked false to the teenager.

"Can we talk?" her Aunt asked. Sheila nodded her head and led her to the Student Union where Houston explained all that had happened. Sheila initially took the conversation in a state of shock before she forced her brain to work. Convoy always told her there were possibilities and to never despair when a situation seems bad.

"Well at least we still have some options," she figured, even despite the seemingly definitive fate of her uncle.

"Yes, I kill Slick Clyde," Houston responded darkly. Sheila shook her head.

"No, I'm not just talking about that. You're certain that it was an older Slick Clyde and not just Slick appearing to look older?" Sheila asked. Normally this would've seemed a strange conversation to be having about one of their former comrades going rogue and suddenly aging several decades, but after the auto wars and a rampaging alien, normalcy was overrated.

"Considering their vehicles actually flew, I'd say yes," was the response. Sheila nodded.

"So he's from the future which means that if you can travel back once you can do so again," the teenager pointed out. "All we need is one of those time travel devices…"

Houston immediately caught on to where she was going with that.

"Yes…yes!" she shouted. "And that's what I'm going to do."

She got up as Sheila looked at her confused.

"Don't you mean what _we_ are going to do?" she asked. Houston hesitated.

"No, I can't bring you into this. I know you want to do something, but you've got your classes and…," she trailed off seeing the desperate look in Sheila's eyes. Although her plan made sense, Houston could see the inner doubt in Sheila's eyes if it would work at all. After all, there was the unspoken question that no one had come to help during the initial attack weighing heavily in their minds.

"I have to go find some friends who I think could help us out, so why don't you go find John Torque. Lord Clyde mentioned something about meeting up with him and he might need all the help he can get. It's a long trip but he's somewhere near our house in the Bayou," Houston responded. Sheila nodded.

"We'll get him back Aunt H," she promised. Houston gave her a brief nod and then got back in her truck and raced off in one direction as Sheila began to prepare herself for a long journey mentally and then headed off as well.

From a nearby rooftop, Dallas 13 watched the two vehicles part ways.

Louisiana Bayou: John Torque was sitting in a local dive with his bottle of beer and a hamburger as he looked through a map of recent sightings of Nina Loco. She was a hard quarry to track down, but through a series of probability calculations and just plain intuition, he thought he had a good idea where she would be appearing next.

"_Now all I have to do is catch her!_" he thought, both pleased that the chase was coming to an end and also disappointed as the amount of bounties had decreased over the years and he wondered where he'd find his next job.

"Excuse me, sir," said the barista cutting into his thoughts. "But the old man at the end of the bar wanted you to have this."

John looked at her bewildered as the woman handed him a small piece of plastic with a note attached to it. The item was a rook from chess and the note read simply: 'It's time for our final game, JT'.

Looking up immediately, John Torque saw an old man at the end of the bar who tipped his cane at him and then exited.

"Thank you," the scientist turned bounty hunter answered as he quickly paid his bill and then immediately rushed outside. Once there, he found himself staring at a nighttime parking lot with his car and several others from the bar in confusion.

"Hello John, it's been awhile," said a familiar voice from behind him. "Let me say that you look exactly like how I remember you."

John Torque turned around to see the old man leaning against a limousine.

"Hello Lord Clyde…I imagine it's been awhile," John figured. Lord Clyde nodded his head.

"Yes, it has," he responded. "But I knew you'd know that, just like you knew that I am Lord Clyde and not Slick anymore. You always did know me better than anyone else which is why you were my favorite opponent in chess, even forty years later."

John shrugged at that before holding up the pawn. "And you came all this way to play that one final game?"

Lord Clyde nodded his head as a maniacal look fell over his eyes. "I have to know which one of us is superior, JT, because I've defeated everyone else."

John could see the need for a challenge burning in the man's eyes, a look he only knew too well from looking in the mirror everyday and looking into his own eyes.

"You have a board?" John asked. The Old Man nodded.

"You're standing on it," he responded. John looked at the ground confused before looking up and nodding his head realizing what he meant.

"I have a series of targets throughout the United States that I intend on hitting and hitting hard with my new Coyote Cartel. It's up to you to rally your troops across the country to stop us," Lord Clyde explained. John looked at him skeptically.

"Even if I did, we're forty years behind on the times," he shot back. Lord Clyde shrugged.

"I never said it would be easy…especially after I captured and defeated your king," he told him, referring to someone unseen fate of Convoy that made John's blood begin to boil. "But I took the liberty of upgrading your vehicle to match ours and with a little ingenuity that I know you have, you could even give us a run for our money. And I wish you luck because I need a challenge."

Lord Clyde prepared to enter his vehicle when John asked him one final question.

"Where is Slick Clyde?" he asked pointedly. Lord Clyde turned to regard him once more at that.

"He's long gone," Lord Clyde said as if that was obvious. John shook his head.

"No, he's still around and I think the reason you're really here is because he needs me to stop you," John told him. The look Lord Clyde gave him was enough to send nearly anyone cowering in terror but John stood his ground.

"Goodbye John," and then the vehicles were gone. The bounty hunter watched them go before turning his attention to his Thunderbolt, which was now sporting one large oversized silver cannon over the right side of the car in addition to the other weaponry already mounted on it. John regarded it curiously and then his expression turned to utter shock as the wheels on the car rotated ninety degrees and it began hovering in the air…

San Francisco: R. Chase was still rubbing his jaw as he sat at an outside café with Chassey Blue still glaring daggers at him.

"You can be mad at me if you want but everything I told is true," the Agent responded to her unsaid threats. He had explained his whole situation to her about being a time traveler from the future and that he had spent the last two years in the 1970s trying to build up some sort of plan for the day when Lord Clyde made his move. The only part he'd left out was who had sent him as he figured the less his impact on the timeline the better.

"Then why didn't you do anything to stop it?" Chassey growled.

"Because I couldn't officially make a move until he made his," said Chase simply and left it at that. "But now that he has, we need to stop him."

"Slick isn't evil, just misguided," Chassey continued, as certain of this fact as she had been two years ago. R. Chase just waved her concerns off.

"If that's what you want to keep believing go ahead," he told her. "But we need to save America at all costs."

"Fine," Chassey relented. "So let's go find the other Vigilantes then."

"No can do," said R. Chase adamantly. "You read the mission specs. Because of the sensitive nature of this mission involving knowledge of the future we cannot contact anyone from this timeframe."

"Then how do you expect us to win?" demanded the FBI Agent.

"Resourcefulness and the advanced technology I've equipped your car with," responded the CIA Agent plainly. "There are only three of them and two of us, so I think we'll be fine."

Chassey laughed at that as she shook her head.

"If we are fighting Slick then you should know better than to think it'll be that easy," the FBI Agent responded. "He's a survivor and he won't go stop no matter what the circumstances are. We need a team to face him and whoever else he's recruited into his cause because otherwise he can just conquer our divided halves with ease. Believe me, I know Slick Clyde."

"I know you do CC," R. Chase responded offhand as he yawned. "But we'll just have to make do for now. We're not Vigilantes and we're not Coyotes, we're…Drifters I guess you could say."

"Then let's go drift and find Sheila," said Chassey standing up.

"There's no time. According to my research, Lord Clyde is going to be hitting the San Francisco dock area any day now to try and prevent imports from the Asiatic nations from reaching US shores. We have to wait for him to make his move and then head him off as quickly as we can," Chase ordered. "So let's move out!"

R. Chase headed for his car as Chassey rolled her eyes at that.

"Oh and Agent Chase, my initials are CB not CC. I can tell you're clearly infatuated with me, but I'll never be Chassey Chase…ever!" she shouted at him. Chase's eyes bugged out at that but he laughed it off.

"Whatever, it was just a slip of the tongue," he replied.

"And another thing, since you're from the future who can I kill for doctoring those photos of me," Chassey asked. R. Chase again paused at that as he considered his answer.

"I don't know because I never followed your career outside of your involvement with Lord Clyde," the CIA Agent lied and then got in his car and drove off before Chassey could ask him any further questions. Chassey watched him go, a little suspicious that he knew more than he was letting on, but let it go as she finally had a new mission in life and a desire to see it completed. And to figure out just what kind of person Slick Clyde had become in forty years.

Elsewhere: Lord Clyde, Obake, and Dallas 13 were meeting with Nina Loco, Molo, and Boogie while discussing their plans. After Molo had contacted Nina Loco who had been more than happy to get paid for the weaponry she had obtained from Sid Burn during the plundering of Site 4, the two had subsequently busted Boogie out of jail and given him the warden's yellow and blue Marathon car as further incentive to join them. Now that they were together, Lord Clyde and his team had subsequently joined up with them again and he had handed out their various assignments. Molo was to team up with Dallas, Boogie and Nina would also be a team, and finally Lord Clyde and Obake would make up the final group. He then finished giving the assignments and all three groups subsequently split up and went their separate ways.

Nevada: Houston was speaking with a group of young adults that she and Convoy had ended up co-financing their stunt show spectacular. Their names were Tomey, Romey, and Leilah, two brothers and a sister, and they were some of the best motorcyclists in the entire American Southwest. But motorcycles wouldn't provide much defense against another vehicle and its cache of weaponry and so the trio would have to use their star-spangled tour vehicle instead to go into battle…if they agreed to join up with Houston.

"Of course we'll join you," said Tomey, the oldest of the group. "You're like a sister to us and without you and Convoy we'd have nothing."

"Thank you," Houston said, relieved, although she knew they'd say yes. "Normally I wouldn't ask you to drive that 'boat' into combat, but with the three of you manning the weapons, you'll be a target any Coyote would think twice about attacking and I'll be there with you all the way."

The trio nodded. "And we're going to be bringin' the pain," they responded. "Mailman coming at ya'!"

Their exuberance was infections as Houston smiled for the first time in a long time since this whole ordeal started in what in reality was only less than a week ago.

"Let's go," Houston ordered as they moved towards their vehicles. "I had a brief conversation with an old friend of mine, John Torque, and he gave me a list of targets in the Midwest that we'll shoot for. When he eventually meets up with Sheila, they'll have to try and cover the east coast and if trouble hits the west coast, I'm just going to pray that Chassey is still in Hollywood and can take up the call."

The All-Star Trio nodded and then all got in their vehicles and drove off towards the east.

Nighttime, Location Unknown: A Grubb Dual Loader Garbage Truck, a Goliath Half-Track, and a Wapiti 4wd were clustered in a triangle as their respective owners, a mysterious individual known only as the Garbage Man, a psychotic doomsayer named Padre Destino, and finally a former tribal medicine man named 'Dusty' Earth, were listening to what the Garbage Man had to say.

"I have brought you here today because we all seek revenge in one form or another," the Garbage Man and de-facto leader explained. "You, Dusty, you want to avenge the desecration of your tribal burial grounds upon which sat Site 4 and you Padre want to quicken the apocalypse you feel is inevitably coming. I can aid with both of those tasks by providing you with weaponry and targets to aim those pent up frustrations upon. We will annihilate these enemies and have our revenge."

The two others of the group each turned reflective in the light of the campfire.

"I'll make right what is wrong," Dusty swore in a hint of selflessness.

"Hasten the undoing!" was Padre's maniacal response as he grinned a crazed grin. The Garbage Man nodded his head and looked up at them through the cloth mask covering his face.

"Gentlemen, it's time to make history!" he shouted and then snapped his fingers as a brilliant white light engulfed the area and was gone just as quickly leaving nothing but a lone campfire behind in the empty desert. On a nearby ridge, a Lunar Rover was perched before it silently drove away.

The players had finally been assembled and the war was about to begin.

Louisiana Bayou: Convoy's family grounds sat just outside a giant swamp that led out to the Mississippi River and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico. It had been built in the 1800s and had stood the test of time against numerous environmental threats along with the Civil War and the trucker firmly believed that it would stand for another two hundred years.

However, others felt differently and would see that their opinion was the one that held out in the end as Lord Clyde's Excelsior Stretch Limousine and Obake's Tsunami drove into the compound and took up a position between the mansion on the grounds and the swamps and family burial ground in the background.

"I always knew that trucker had more wealth than he let on," said Lord Clyde disgusted. "Taking this from him is going to be just as satisfying as when I took his life."

Obake nodded. This wasn't her fight, she'd never even known the trucker, but she certainly remembered the original desire she'd had to destroy OMAR for what they had done to her father's business…at least until her father showed her otherwise. Her father had held a deep resentment against Convoy for years and he needed to finally rid himself of all traces of the man.

"Any last words you old fool?" he asked of the building in front of them.

"Place your bets!" shouted a voice as the front doors to the mansion blew open and a projectile flew out and exploded, driving the two vehicles apart. From the front doors emerged John Torque's Thunderbolt as its Wheel O' Fortune barrel spun to a halt.

East Coast: John Torque in his Thunderbolt, Sheila in her Wonderwagon, and a trio of goofballs who had become obsessed with Dave and drove around in a Xanadu RV and had used whatever gizmos they had to track the temporal rifts and also track them down and offer their services as well, were making their way towards Florida and the NASA Space Center.

A/N: I altered a couple things from the game and glossed over even more. There will be character development for the characters that even received any in the game and probably none for those that didn't which was mostly anyone who really wasn't in the first game. I also altered Tomey, Romy, and Leilah's background as the trio's vehicle was a motorcycle that only seated one person, which to me is not something you would be using during an auto war. They were also revealed to be Houston's long lost family but I changed it so that Houston considered them to be family but they weren't actually related. I did it so I could still use them and pair them up with Houston since I wanted to pair up John and Sheila since it makes for better dialogue possibilities.


	4. Gathering the Teams

On that note, here's a character breakdown now that they've all been introduced along with a brief bio. Note that there're a couple spoilers here for characters that have yet to debut:

Drifters Team A:

Chassey Blue- Former Vigilante turned actress turned FBI Agent again.

R. Chase-CIA Agent from the future sent by Sheila to stop Lord Clyde. Is trying to prevent the complete destruction of the future he knew by not allying with the Vigilantes of the time period.

Drifters Team B:

Garbage Man-Arose after the original auto wars and has a strong desire to acquire as much refuse as possible for unknown reasons.

Padre Destino-A doomsayer who intends on bringing about the apocalypse any way he can.

'Dusty' Earth-A formal tribal medicine man whose tribal burial grounds were near to Site 4 and when it was destroyed, so were they. In the original game, the burial grounds were the site of a level in the original Vigilante 8 but I couldn't figure out a good plot reason for why the Vigilantes and Coyotes would even be there and so I wrote that level out.

Drifters Team C:

Bob O.-Astronaut who was originally commissioned by Site 4 personnel to seek out the wayward 'Y' The Alien. Following the base's destruction and the subsequent disappearance of 'Y' he instead vowed to punish those responsible for the base's destruction.

Vigilante Team A:

Houston-Convoy's wife and is now seeking a means to travel through time to save him.

Tomey, Romy, and Leilah-The All-Star Trio is good friends of Houston and Convoy and are out to help Houston accomplish her goal.

Vigilante Team B:

John Torque-Bounty Hunter who is now the de-facto leader of the Vigilantes.

Sheila-Convoy's niece and is rejoining the auto wars to try and build up her resume for getting into the FBI.

Dorkiel, Zorkiel, and Borkiel aka Dave's Cultsmen-A trio of young hippies from Dave's hometown who firmly believe he made contact with extraterrestrials. They joined Dave and Sheila to take up Dave's Vigilante cause in his absence as well as also holding out a vain hope of meeting him in the process.

Coyote Team A:

Lord Clyde-Formerly Slick Clyde of the Vigilantes, current CEO of OMAR. He travelled through time from the year 2019 to conquer America.

Obake aka Keiko Uzumi-Lord Clyde's adoptive daughter.

Coyote Team B:

Molo-Eighteen year old former Coyote Cartel member.

Dallas XIII-Bio-droid from the year 2019 and Lord Clyde's loyal servant.

Coyote Team C:

Nina Loco-Arms salesman who was subcontracted by OMAR to conceal the weaponry taken from Site 4 by Sid Burn for later pickup.

Boogie-A former disco dancing champion, who joined OMAR after disco started to fade away and he needed to vent his frustrations.

Bayou: John Torque was being double-teamed as he tried to focus solely on Clyde's limousine that was hovering in the air over the swamp as Obake harassed him to no end.

"You're better than this JT!" goaded Lord Clyde as he avoided an interceptor missile. "The odds are stacked against you, live to fight another day!"

"That's rich coming from you!" John shouted back as he avoided a bruiser cannon shot from the Tsunami. "You're the one who believed the odds didn't matter and would do anything to right injustice. Plus, you saved me several times in the process."

"I was a fool then," responded Lord Clyde harshly. "I won't make the same mistake twice."

"But why, Clyde?" asked John, deliberately trying to avoid using his first name and thus potentially set him off. "What happened to make you change your mind?"

"**That's none of your concern**," Lord Clyde growled. And then electricity arced outwards from the flying limousine as it oriented itself at the Thunderbolt.

"If I ever needed a favor from beyond the grave, Convoy, this is it!" said John to his non-present friend. The electricity fired off at the Thunderbolt.

"TANTRUM!" shouted a voice from nowhere as heavy shells moved through the night sky and pounded the limousine causing its electrical blast to arc wide and slam into the ground throwing debris everywhere. As the dirt finally settled, Sheila's Wonderwagon had taken up a defensive position between the Thunderbolt and the flying vehicle. Obake's Tsunami meanwhile shot through the air overhead before landing on the ground and spinning around to take up a defensive position opposite her.

"Looks like a Mexican Standoff," Clyde mentioned. The four vehicles gunned their engines at each other as their weapons gleamed in the moonlight reflecting off the swamp waters. Behind Sheila, the Thunderbolt rose up into the air using its hoverpods to give it a better aim at the limousine.

"Not quite…," responded Sheila knowingly as three lights arced through the air overhead, racing at the limousine.

"INVASION!" shouted a trio of voices as Lord Clyde's eyes widened.

"It can't be!" he shouted as miniature flying saucers harassed his vehicle…something only compounded by the fact that his vehicle was aloft. Down below, a Xanadu RV came to a halt next to the Wonderwagon and Thunderbolt.

"Actually it isn't," Sheila confessed. "But you're going down regardless."

Lord Clyde watched the trio of vehicles below before turning his attention to the mansion behind them.

"Shocking," he said simply as an electrical blast flew out and ripped out the forward supports of the mansion causing it to shift forward and come off of its foundation and immediately collapsed on the three vehicles in front of it.

High above, the limousine tore off as Obake's Tsunami rose into the sky and followed suit.

Long Beach: The Chrono Stinger and Vertigo were parked in the Port of Long Beach dock area as crews bustled about loading and unloading the ships that came in from the non-ravaged Asiatic Countries. The vehicle's occupants meanwhile were in the Dock Manager's office overlooking the state of affairs below.

"Oh Ms. Blue, I'm such a big fan of yours!" said the Dock Manager eagerly shaking the FBI Agent's hand. Chassey managed a diplomatic smile at that because as long as she remained in the manager's good graces, the easier their time would be.

"I'm glad that you still stayed loyal after what happened," she responded in allusion to the tabloid photos. The manager waved her concerns off.

"Ah, I never believed those rags anyway," he responded. "Say, could you sign my movie poster?"

Chassey gave him a genuine grin at that. "I'd be honored."

Near a giant window overlooking the docks, R. Chase snorted at that, bemused, before returning his attention to the docks and his PDA. He was glad Chassey was keeping the manager occupied because the technology in the device that fit in his hands was so radically advanced it could alter the course of human history. The bulk of the computer age was still a few years away, but even they wouldn't be able to come near to what his device could do for quite some time.

At the moment he was snapping a panoramic view of the dock and figuring out possible attack scenarios to destroy it. He figured the cranes would be the first target, the administrative buildings next, and then likely any trucks and ships in the harbor. It wouldn't be easy taking Chassey into combat when she wasn't even acquainted with the hovering device currently installed on her vehicle.

But that was the least of his worries, the one thing troubling him the most was that he still couldn't figure out if the time stream was immutable or not. The complexities of the fourth dimension boggled the mind and Chase seriously hoped he still had a future to return to when this was all over. Otherwise…

BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMM!

An explosion went off jerking his thoughts to the present as Dallas XIII's Palamino raced past the building along with a Prison Bus and both immediately began firing on everything around them.

"Its game time, Chassey!" he shouted and ran for the stairwell followed by the FBI Agent who had just finished signing the poster.

Bayou: Convoy's former mansion littered the area before part of it began shifting as the sound of engines straining was heard. And then the debris physically and violently shook from side to side as John Torque's Thunderbolt rose up from below it and into the air. It then moved forward before arcing around past the trees in the swamp before coming to a halt facing the destroyed mansion with its headlights illuminating the area as Sheila's Wonderwagon drove out of the mess and stopped nearby. Finally, the otherworld sounds of flying saucers was heard as light streamed from another area and the ground and debris again flew everywhere as the Xanadu RV extricated itself from the mess.

Sheila emerged from her vehicle as did the hippie occupants of the RV: Dorkiel, Borkiel, and Zorkiel and all four looked up at the flying Thunderbolt in awe.

"Wow," they all said in unison as the vehicle lowered itself to the ground before finally landing.

"You four okay?" asked John concerned as he approached them.

"Girls rule!" said Sheila affirmatively.

"Far out!" the three RV hippies stated with thumbs up. John looked at them perplexed as he had no idea who they were, before looking at the devastation around them.

"Convoy won't be happy," he said, even though he knew his friend was gone.

"I never liked that house anyway," Sheila confessed unapologetically as she sat on the hood of her car. John laughed at that despite himself.

"Yeah, neither did I," he agreed. "All the same…"

"Yeah," Sheila acknowledge about their failure to protect it. "We'll get him next time. But Slick…"

John Torque nodded. That was the other half of the puzzle…why Slick had become what he had, ultimately causing him to turn against them.

"Do you think in the future that we somehow…," began Sheila helplessly. John immediately shook his head.

"No," he said knowingly. "Whatever may have happened between us and him in the future, he ultimately made his own choice to get himself where he is today. All we can do now is move forward and stop him."

Sheila nodded her head affirmatively as she tried to dismiss her lingering doubts about how Slick had become Lord Clyde and then turned to see John addressing the three hippies.

"So who're you three goofballs?" he asked pointedly as the hippies laughed nervously in response.

Olyumpus Games Resort, Wasatch Range, Utah: The All-Star Stunt Trio and Houston were sitting in the Tour Vehicle enjoying some warm food as snow pelted the outside around them.

"Why a ski resort?" asked Leilah curious. "There's not much here aside from the elites of society who love to ski."

Houston had to think about that one. "I don't really know much about what happened during the Auto Wars with battles I wasn't a apart of, but I believe Slick had to defend a similar ski resort and he wasn't happy about it."

Tomey, the oldest of the group, looked out at the window at the blowing snow and chuckled at that.

"I think I can relate," he admitted as he took a sip of his hot chocolate and turned reflective. "I wonder when he'll show up to level this place."

"I don't think he will," Houston confessed. "John believed that Slick may have drafted some kind of team to attack the targets through the country. So we may not face him at all, not that I don't _want_ to."

The All-Star Trio nodded at that. "We'll get him someday if not today."

"I know we will," Houston agreed and then continued enjoying her tea as the storm continued outside.

Ski Lodge: The receptionist looked at the out of place couple with skepticism as she looked through her records. Across from the desk was a Mexican woman with fiery red hair in a traditional Mexican ensemble along with a man who had long brown hair and was wearing what appeared to be an orange prison jumpsuit.

"Well it appears you do have a reservation here," said the receptionist perplexed. "It's courtesy of Lord Clyde's complimentary pass after a disastrous vacation at the Busted Hump Ski Resort a couple of years back. Nina Loco and Boogie, I presume."

"Excellent," said the woman, Nina Loco. "Two rooms, I presume?"

"Sorry, no," said the receptionist a little pleased by not telling Nina what she wanted to hear. "The initial reservation was for a single room with two beds and that's what you'll be getting."

Nina's expression turned to shock at that as Boogie just snickered accordingly only to receive a knee to the gut from his companion causing him to keel over and fall on the floor.

"You try anything and I'll kill you," Nina swore.

"Woah you a tough guy?" croaked out Boogie before Nina pressed her foot into his ribs and he held up his hands defeated.

"I can move to the groove," he responded as he slowly got back to his feet. Nina turned and took the keys to the room without a second glance at the receptionist. As she left, she heard Boogie ask if they had a dance floor and his expression at the response that they didn't have one caused Nina to break out into a broad smile.

Long Beach: A bruiser cannon shot blew out the supports on one of the cranes and it collapsed into the ocean, narrowly avoiding Chassey's Vertigo as it flew through the air below it, chasing after Dallas XIII's Palamino.

"Yikes," said Chassey looking behind her at the resulting splash that then covered her car in water.

"Hey Chassey, keep your eyes on the skies!" shouted R. Chase as she nearly crashed into his Chrono Stinger that was hovering nearby and taking shots at Molo's bus that was driving on the docks on the opposite side of the water.

"Sorry! But you'll have to forgive me but I've never flown a car before!" she shouted back as she wrestled to get the vehicle back under control.

"Well I never said to activate the hover mechanism, just that it was there if you needed it!" he fired back as Molo's bus came straight at him, all weapons blazing.

"Take a seat, I'm driving!" the teenager shouted as his bus hit a ramp and went flying into the air, narrowly avoiding the CIA Agent's vehicle as he moved out of the way. The bus subsequently landed in the drink with an even bigger splash than the crane had made.

"Looks like you're sinking," quipped Chassey as she jerked hard up on the wheel causing her vehicle to rise above the Mega Collider shot from Dallas's vehicle. The reddish orange blast subsequently tore a large scar in the ground and narrowly avoided the central goods distribution center.

Inside his bus, Molo was beginning to panic as water started to seep in around him. He also wasn't sure what to do now as Lord Clyde had told him the vehicles were now equipped with special abilities back when they'd last met, but Molo had never bothered reading the instruction manual. Especially considering he hated to fly which is why he rode one of the heaviest vehicles imaginable and vowed never to use the hoverpod ability.

"Ah, Sid Burn wouldn't have gotten me into this mess," he complained bitterly. Not for the first time, he wished he knew what had become of his former boss. He still swore he'd find out one day, but right now he had bigger problems to worry about.

"Warning, this vehicle is taking on water, suggest activating hydro floaters," said the voice of the newly installed weapons console next to him. An image appeared on the touchscreen of a strange blue icon which Molo instantly reached over and pressed for lack of options. Below him, the wheels on the bus retracted and water skis deployed out of the forward four wheel wells as the rear wheel wells began boat propellers. The bus found itself floating on the surface of the water as Molo laughed his head off.

"Take a wiff!" he shouted as he left behind a cloud of black smog that choked up Chase's Chrono Stinger causing it to plunge into the water as well before its hydro floaters activated as well. The CIA Agent then barely got the engine started and his vehicle out of the way before a large cargo ship bore down on him.

"Chase, we need a plan or this whole port is going to go up in flames," Chassey told the CIA Agent as she maneuvered her vehicle to survey the warehouses full of stainless steel that were burning.

"I'll come up with something," Chase promised. Dallas 13's Mega Collider fired again and tore up even more of the surrounding landscape and just narrowly avoiding the long suspension bridge that cross the entire dock area.

"Well you'd better come up with something quickly because I'm running out of ideas," said Chassey as she slammed her Vertigo into the Palamino causing it to go flying off away from the vital areas.

"I will, I will," Chase promised as he wiped sweat from his forehead as he desperately thought about what to do. "Just give me some time."

Chassey inwardly groaned at that. She knew Chase could follow orders well enough, but he was no leader unlike Convoy, John, or even Slick who was now apparently leading the efforts against them. Worse than that, since Slick wasn't here, that meant he was going after targets across the country with evidently no one to stop him.

"_Houston, John, I pray that you're succeeding where we aren't_," said Chassey silently as she prayed that her former colleagues knew what was going on and were putting a stop to it. Otherwise, they were all in trouble.

Bayou: "They're old friends of Dave's," Sheila explained of Dorkiel, Zorkiel, and Borkiel, aged 33, 25, and 19 respectively. "I sort of knew them from conversations I'd had with him and since I had to pass through their hometown anyway, I figured they'd be useful since I don't know of anyone else with a scientific background to help us out."

John Torque nodded his head. "That's good stuff, Sheila, you're becoming more and more a leader everyday."

"Aw, shucks," said Sheila in mock innocence before she and John began laughing at that.

"So what now, do we head back to middle-America and try and hook up with Houston?" Sheila asked. John shook his head as he took a drink from a thermos he had with him.

"I had a long talk with Houston over the phone and Clyde's going to be hitting targets on the eastern American seaboard that we're going to have to defend against. They're on their own for now," the bounty hunter responded before adding a reluctant. "This sucks."

Sheila gave him a half-smile. "We'll make it through this, we all will. We just have to keep on fighting until the very end."

John nodded his head. "Then let's stop talking and roll out to Cape Canaveral."

"Lead the way, Jose!" said the three hippies in unison as they ran for their RV. Sheila laughed at their enthusiasm as John looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You've got a flying car, I'd say their behavior is as normal as things can get," the teenager stated before racing for her car as well. The two raced off down the road headed east before the bounty hunter got in his car and activated the hoverpods and flew off after them, taking the lead in the rush to their next target.

Olyumpus Ski Resort: "So why are you here Nina?" asked Boogie curious as he took off his prison shoes and lay back on his bed in pure bliss at the soft covers beneath him. He still couldn't believe he was out of the joint, but thanks to his companion and Molo, he'd been sprung and vowed to live life to the fullest while he was still free.

"My reasons are mine alone," she responded dismissively. Her past was an enigma to most people, save for parts that Boogie was aware of and Sid Burn. Nina hadn't always been in the gun running business; she used to be in the business of smuggling illegal immigrants across the Mexico-US border before everything fell apart in the world when OMAR rose. Although she had experienced some joy in seeing that those under her charge move on to at least a chance of a better life, it had begun to take a toll on her psychologically as many were in no condition to make the trip in the first place and some would never reach the land of the free alive. So she had turned to running guns and OMAR had then come calling when they needed her to help infiltrate the Coyote Cartel into America two years ago.

"Suit yourself," said the disco man stretching out. He didn't really care why she was here, only that she was, and he intended to try his charm on her a second time round, even if it ended up with him in pain like earlier.

But now was not the time for that, now was the time for sleep and soon he was snoring away on the bed Nina watched him disgusted before pulling out her suitcase and opening it. As she rustled through the insides, she removed a weathered photo of John Torque and looked at for several moments. Lord Clyde had given it to her to warn her about the bounty hunter's efforts to bring her in and so she had taken to studying it every opportunity she could get.

"_So what's your story, gringo_?" she wondered to herself and in a small corner of her mind, she really wanted to know before she too turned in to go to sleep.

Savannah, Georgia: "You always were good, JT, I'd forgotten that," said Lord Clyde aloud as he tapped away on his laptop in the motel room he and his daughter were staying in. He was analyzing various pieces of data from tactical readouts of the various battles, to reports on OMAR's current operations, and was also refreshing his memory about the 1970s and soon to be 1980s.

"I thought we had anticipated all scenarios," Keiko commented. Failure was a rare occurrence for her father, which is why he constantly planned ahead to avoid such scenarios.

"There's no anticipated course of action when John Torque is involved," responded Lord Clyde as he leaned back in his chair. "But actually, this defeat is rather…refreshing in a way."

"How so?" asked Keiko curious as she began cleaning her katana blade.

"Because now I just have to work that much harder to defeat him," Clyde responded frankly. "Plus it's kind of amusing that President Sheila got involved. A thorn in my side no matter what era I'm in."

"If you say so, papa," responded Keiko in her usual response to her father getting whimsical about adversaries in their path.

"Keiko, I know training and precision is something that was engrained into you from years of practice and study, but you need to learn how to live a little," Lord Clyde responded. "Find some enjoyment in whatever you're doing or else you'll lose sight of whatever it is you're trying to accomplish. Me, I'm having a blast right now and I hope you will too."

"I hope so," Keiko nodded her head as she absent mindedly continued wiping her sword, thinking about what her father had just said. Truth be told, having fun was something she had little experience with. Darius was the one who managed to bring out her lighter side the most back they were together, but now…now she was lonelier than ever, especially in a timeframe that was not her own. She was so lost in her thoughts that she was instantly startled when a new object was dropped in her lap.

"What's this?" she asked as she held up a new katana in its sheath.

"Something I had intended on giving you later but seeing as you've allowed yourself to distraction…," answered Lord Clyde visibly annoyed. He knew her just as well as she did, he always had. "Get some rest and in the morning you'd better be in better spirits and more focused or I'll scrub your being on this mission. And I don't tolerate failure from anyone, especially you."

With that, her father picked up his laptop and left the room leaving Keiko by herself with her new weapon. Keiko's emotional turmoil had only increased with that statement before she unsheathed her new weapon and looked it over.

And then she broke down into tears as the weapon she held in her hands was her old katana from when she was a child. Her adoptive father had snapped it in half but now the blade was in her hands in pristine condition, apparently having been repaired at considerable expense.

"Thank you papa," she stated softly before her eyes narrowed and she once more took on a guise of pure concentration as she stood up and unsheathed both katana swords and twirled them before assuming a state of concentrated readiness.

And then she noticed that lettering adorned her old blade, lettering that hadn't been there before.

"Remember the past, live for today, prepare for tomorrow, fight the future," she read aloud. It was words of advice that her adoptive father had given her only a few days prior; words he used as his personal mantra and whose source he never revealed. It was a reminder to her about what he thought was really important in life and a lesson she was still learning to this day.

"I will fight the future for you father," she swore as she placed her katana swords back in their sheaths and put them under her pillow as she went to sleep.

In the adjoining room next to hers, Lord Clyde was also preparing for sleep but one thing was keeping him awake. He was looking through his old photos of his time with the Vigilantes to try and remind himself of their mindsets and operational tactics. He was nearly through all of them when he picked up one final picture and stared at it deep in thought.

"Chassey…," he said softly as he touched the photo of the smiling FBI Agent who was laughing at Slick's attempts at making his own moonshine. He then looked at the photos of the other Vigilantes disgusted with a mixture of sadness and anger on his face.

"You have no idea that one day they're going to betray you," he began. "Just like they did to me, which is why I won't let them win for both our sakes."

Long Beach: Chassey was being dogged by both Molo and Dallas when R. Chase's Chrono Stinger came to a halt right in front of her.

"What are you doing?" Chassey questioned confused as the strange bulb type device on the front of the CIA Agent's car began glowing.

"Brace yourself CC," he declared as the device glowed ever brighter. Chassey growled at that.

"I told you not to call me-!" she began.

!

Suddenly the entire area was enveloped in a bright glow and she screamed in terror as her body felt like it was literally disintegrating before her eyes.


	5. It's Time For War

Cape Canaveral: The three Vigilante vehicles of John, Sheila, and the self-titled Dave's Cultsmen were parked nearby where they could see the entire facility.

"So they haven't made their move yet?" asked John over his CB radio that he had patched into the telephone lines as Houston had likewise done similarly at the ski resort. "I wouldn't make too much of it, they're probably just enjoying the hospitality of the resort before going on the attack."

"I still wish they would get it over with, I don't like this anticipation," said Houston, shivering even despite the cold.

"Agreed," John confirmed as he looked over at Sheila and the Cultsmen who were clustered around a sensor station that the trio had setup with a satellite dish aimed at the night skies. "Although I think we're the ones dealing with Slick and not your group, sorry."

"Well if it's any consolation, I think we're the ones dealing with Nina Loco," responded Houston in kind. She was well aware of the woman from their previous teaming up when Houston was still a Coyote and she also knew John was after her bounty.

"Oh, it's just not fair," the Bounty Hunter complained. "Do you want to trade places?"

"No, I think things are better this way," Houston had to reluctantly admit. "I don't think we can afford to let our emotions get in the way of our better judgment. Especially seeing as that's what seemingly happened to Slick."

John nodded his head and yawned to himself as the sun rose on the horizon. "You hear anything on the West Coast?"

"Rumors mainly, something about a bus and palamino causing problems in the dock areas of Long Beach," responded the former cyborg off-hand. "Apparently something really strange happened and the local authorities can't explain what went on there."

"Well we'll try and keep an eye on it on our end," John promised. "I'd say get some more sleep while you can and then show Nina and anyone else she might be with no mercy. Next contact should be at 1900 tonight."

"Right," Houston acknowledged. "Oh, before we end transmission, what is the current bounty on Nina these days?"

John grumbled at that. "Goodbye Houston."

Laughter greeted him at that and JT was glad to see the woman in slightly better spirits at least for now.

"Over and out," responded the other Vigilante as the line went dead and John packed the radio back up and joined the rest of the group.

"So what're you three up to now?" he asked a little suspicious.

"We're trying to contact Dave," said Sheila with a false of air of mysteriousness to her voice before grabbing the microphone. "Dave, this is Sheila. Where are you come on back now?"

Silence.

"Well it was worth a shot. Keep trying you guys and see what you come up with," she responded before turning and seeing John's even more confused expression. "Well we don't technically know what happened to him so I'm staying optimistic."

"Fair enough," John acquiesced, though by now he had discounted the notion that Dave would ever turn up after the explosion that had claimed Site 4, before looking over at Cape Canaveral. "I just wish I could figure out why this area was so important to Slick."

Sheila shrugged as she opened a package of yogurt and began eating it. "I dunno, maybe it has something to do with the US finding alternative sources of fuel in the stars perhaps."

"That's a good thought," John agreed with her reasoning as he looked at the runway to see a hauler push the space shuttle Enterprise into a nearby hanger. "I wonder what kind of resources we'll find down the road."

"I'm more interested in the kind of people we'll be down the road," Sheila wondered instead. "Where do you see yourself John?"

"Probably still hunting Nina Loco," responded the bounty hunter dryly. "You?"

"Head of the FBI or better I hope," responded the twenty-something year old responded. "But definitely defeating Slick before all of that."

"Agreed," said John. "Well at least we have a three to two advantage."

"I just hope it lasts," Sheila cut in. "Knowing Slick, he may try to even the odds a little."

John thought about that before nodding his head in agreement and continued observing the spaceport.

Elsewhere: "Umm, like, are you sure about this?" asked the young blond valley girl receptionist who was out of place on the east coast. Lord Clyde nodded his head. He was standing in a large receptionist area in his suit as next to him stood Keiko, also in business attire, and sans katanas with her hair that was normally in a bun with hair sticks now completely loose past her shoulders.

"The documentation is all there and if someone did have an issue with it, they should've spoken up by now," he responded frankly. Sure the documents were forged, but genuine threats to the right people made them turn the other way from what he was going to do. Not that anyone really cared to begin with, but Lord Clyde didn't need people snooping around his business.

"Well…okay," said the receptionist before picking up her phone. "It's been cleared, you can send them back."

A pair of armed guards emerged and escorted Lord Clyde and Obake into the back of the psyche ward where they walked past the various cells in silence.

"Why are we here, father?" asked Keiko softly so the guards couldn't hear.

"After the auto wars, NASA ramped up the defenses of all their installations. OMAR uncovered documentation on the upgrades for Cape Canaveral, but I don't know what was already there in the first place. I need a detailed understanding of the existing armaments of the location and there's only one man I know who would willingly divulge that information," Clyde explained as the guards stopped ahead of them.

"We're here. You have fifteen minutes," the guards responded as they unlocked the doors. "You should be safe, but we'll be monitoring regardless in case something goes wrong."

"Understood," responded Lord Clyde as he removed a mechanical device from his pocket and held it in his hand before thumbing it on to block all nearby listening devices as he and Keiko entered the room and the door slammed shut behind them. Inside was a white padded cell with a lone chalkboard that the occupant of the cell was furiously scribbling away on. Complex equations riddled the board and Lord Clyde walked up to them and read through them. After a few moments of searching, the CEO reached for the nearby chalkboard eraser and erased part of the equation and wrote something else down instead. The person next to him appraised the new markings and then nodded their head approvingly before both began writing even more equations until they hit the bottom of the board and Clyde drew an 'x' to finish it off. The two men then stood face to face and appraised the other.

"Pleased to meet you, Loki, it's been awhile if you still remember me," said the older man extending his hand to the former fighter pilot who had some classified time working at Site 4 under his belt. The pilot rubbed his wrists and looked at the old man confused before realization dawned on him and he eagerly shook the man's hand.

"But of course, Lord Clyde of OMAR and his assistant Obake from the year 2019," said Loki mysteriously. Obake was at a loss as to how Loki knew so much about them and Lord Clyde greeted his statement with a mixture of uncertainty and curiosity before looking back at the chalkboard and taking note of various newspaper clippings attached to it about strange weather phenomena along with blurry photos of the OMAR facilities that the trio had attacked back in 1977.

"I take it my arrival was anticipated?" he figured. Loki nodded his head.

"The math foretold the arrival of three visitors from the future this year," the ex-fighter jock revealed as he pointed to a portion of the mathematical equation. Keiko looked at the equations perplexed before she slowly pieced together what it said.

"Quantum Mechanics, Temporal Mechanics, Spatial Analysis, that's a lot of math," she commented before picking up the chalk and drawing a vortex on it. "And all just to find the wormhole that we travelled through to get here. But that doesn't explain how you knew who we are."

Loki opened his mouth to respond when Lord Clyde butted in. "Unfortunately that will have to wait for another time because right now I need to know Cape Canaveral's defenses before our fifteen minutes is up."

The old man subsequently produced another electronic device and set it on the ground and a holographic image of the spaceport popped up and filled the room.

"If you could," the old man requested. Loki looked as if he really needed to say more but obliged with the man's request and pointed out the various armaments to the best of his recollection.

"Thanks, we have to go," said Lord Clyde immediately striding towards the exit as the sound of the doors unlocking was heard.

"Wait, there's one more thing you need to know," he told them. The duo stopped at the door.

"They will return," he said cryptically before spinning the chalkboard around and revealing three images drawn on the other side. Lord Clyde glared darkly at him before a malevolent smile broke across his face.

"No, they won't," he promised and then left along with a mystified Keiko Uzumi who stared at the image before Lord Clyde dragged her from the room.

"But…but…those images were of…," his adopted daughter began. Lord Clyde turned to face her with rage filled eyes.

"Loki is a delusional fool who cannot let go of the past. He vainly believes that they will return and free him, but they won't. They're dead and if they even think about returning, I'll destroy them," her father answered harshly. "I won't let anything stand in my way! Now let's go destroy that spaceport, now!"

With that Lord Clyde angrily got into his limousine and slammed the door shut. Keiko looked at the door a little concerned before nodding her head to get back to business and hope that her father would pull through his funk before it affected their efforts here in the 1970s. She got in her Tsunami and started up the engine before once more thinking about what she had seen on the blackboard before driving off.

In his seat in his limousine, Lord Clyde released a long breath before looking out the window at nothing in particular as a thousand thoughts flooded his mind over the conversation he had just had with Loki. He knew going in that the former fighter jet had claimed to be an oracle who could see visions of the future, he'd read all that in the various reports this time period had on him. He'd expected to find Loki in a corner with a straight jacket on, not composing complex formulas about wormholes and knowing just who he and his daughter were.

"_Subject claims to have temporarily travelled in a UFO and to have been seen the entirety of the space-time continuum and is now able to see the past, the present, and the future. Testing continues to determine validity of these claims,_" he read once more from the official report before throwing it back on the passenger seat. He thought about it for a few moments more before choosing to not worry about it and just concentrate on his work; he'd deal with Loki later.

Olyumpus Games Resort: The rich and famous ran for their lives in a repeat of what had happened at the Busted Hump Ski Resort two years earlier as Vigilantes and Coyotes crisscrossed the slopes hammering each other with everything they had across the Wasatch Range.

Long Beach: "What the hell just happened?" demanded Chassey angrily as she found herself at a local café with a mug of coffee in front of her as fog drifted in from the ocean. "One minute I was in my car and the next…"

"Yeah, I know," said R. Chase who was being decidedly uncooperative on the subject about the incident on the docks. "It's long and complicated but simply put we're here now and the docks made it through relatively intact."

Fire crews could be seen in the distance putting out the last of the fires from the day before.

"But what happened to me, though?" Chassey questioned. "One minute I'm going along like normal and the next it's like nothing I've ever felt before. Then all of a sudden I'm no longer on the battlefield, I'm here drinking my coffee and Molo and that robot are nowhere to be seen."

"I can imagine," answered Chase taking a drink from his tea. "Unfortunately, what happened is classified."

"Guh," groaned Chassey as she rolled her eyes at that. "Are you ever going to be completely truthful about your actions here?"

"Nope," said the CIA Agent with an amused grin. "Can't risk the timeline after all."

Chassey groaned again at that. "Is there anybody from this time period you're answerable to?"

"Just one, but I'm making it a point not to run across her," responded Chase as he sipped his tea one last time before tossing the cup away. "But time to go because I think that Molo person and Dallas 13 are headed for the Hexagon Oil Facilities in Alaska."

Chassey reluctantly nodded as she got up and guzzled her remaining coffee before wiping her mouth.

"I wish I could get in touch with Sheila and see if the Vigilantes are behind whatever's going on in Utah right now," the FBI Agent admitted as she looked up at a television mounted outside showing cars fighting it out on the slopes. She thought the tow truck that raced past looked familiar but even after the auto wars had ended and America had slowly gotten back from the brink, isolated skirmishes still erupted every now and then between various parties. Although the appearance of Molo indicated that Clyde had gone out and recruited new members to his team. That they were likely out causing trouble as well had her worried.

"What makes you think Sheila is my boss?" asked Chase having only partially paid attention to her previous statement as he paid his bill with the cash he had from the future. Although the PDA could supposedly generate more, he still resolved to be frugal with his spending in case something went wrong with it.

"I didn't say anything about-," began Chassey before her eyes lit up with that slip on Chase's part. "Oho, she IS your boss…or will be I should say!"

"B-but I didn't say that!" Chase protested, although the increase in color on his cheeks was in stark contrast to that statement.

"Well your secret is safe with me…but if you don't tell me what happened on those docks by the time we reach Alaska, it may not be," his partner threatened with a smile on her face before heading for her car and leaving him and his protests behind.

Florida: Explosions peppered the landscape in a repeat of what was going on in Utah as John Torque went after Lord Clyde in the sky above as Sheila kept Obake busy while the Dave's Cultsmen focused on defending the important facilities against Coyotes who were too close and also trying to act as cover from the government forces who were shooting at everybody.

"You can't win JT," declared Lord Clyde as narrowly avoided a shot from John's Wheel O' Fortune cannon. "The future is already written and you lost!"

"I wasn't aware these events had already happened," JT commented simply as he yanked hard on the wheel to try and avoid a bruiser cannon blast that hit the front of his car knocking it for a loop.

"I'm not talking about what happens today," muttered Clyde darkly. "I'm talking about the betrayals of tomorrow."

"I don't-," began JT when the limousine pulled away from him and rushed the launching pad to take advantage of John's confusion. He then growled in anger at the diversion and chased after him.

"Head's up Dorkiel, you've got incoming," advised JT as the limousine began strafing the concrete runway leading towards the tower.

"Roger that!" came the response as the miniature saucers began spinning around the RV in defensive mode to try and deflect the oncoming blasts from the tower. The limousine drew closer and closer to the RV when to Lord Clyde's confusion, the ground seemed to ripple in between it and him.

"What the-?" he began confused when a voice cut in over the radio.

"BEWARE!" shouted a voice from nowhere as a vehicle rose straight up into the air from a distortion of some sort and slammed into the underside of the limousine while the ensuing waves knocked the RV back into the tower.

"Sheila, defensive position now!" shouted John as Sheila's Wonderwagon moved away from Obake's Tsunami and raced towards John's Thunderbolt that landed next to the RV.

"Can somebody tell me _who_ or _what_ this is?" asked Sheila confused as she looked at the Goliath Halftrack that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"Sensors indicate hostile intent," mentioned Dorkiel from the RV as the Halftrack revved its rear tank treads to briefly throw dirt and pavement into the air.

"You've got that right," John agreed as he looked at the vehicle as it was joined by two others, a Wapiti 4x4 and a Grubb Dual Loader. "Friends of your Clyde?"

"I don't have any friends anymore," he responded harshly before lightening up. "But I always do love a challenge."

"A challenge neither of you will win," said a voice that none of them recognized but Lord Clyde's sensors indicated came from the Dual Loader. "The visitors from the future will not win this war but neither will the forces from the present."

"So hasten the undoing!" added another voice, this one from the Halftrack.

The three sides raced each other.

Nearby: A lunar rover raced along the road headed towards the explosions in the distance at Canaveral with its front metal pincers gleaming in the sunlight ready to strike.

Kuwait City: In the past three years since the mysterious stranger and his companions from the future had swept through and nearly brought the powerful Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime to its knees. Though to the world outside OMAR was just as strong and united as ever, inwardly it was on the verge of self-destruction from the resulting power vacuum of Three's death and Seven and Eight's temporary hospitalization. As a result, the OMAR Executive's power had had to be increased and as such, greediness set in. The executives began secretly increasing their power base for the inevitable day that they would lead a coup to overthrow One. To that end, some of the remaining weaker OMAR Executives had met with 'accidents' and those remaining gobbled up their operations as well until only six executives remained, scattered across the globe. Only One refused to be involved in such things and out of tradition they left the creator of OMAR alone as the creator became more and more withdrawn after what had happened three years ago. Soon the time would come for the coup and when it did, no one knew what would become of OMAR, only that they would be the ones powerful enough to control it over the broken corpses of all the other board members.

But that day was not today and so One, Two, Six, Eight(of whom Seven had voluntarily retired from the Board and began working for once both became healthy again), Eleven, and finally Thirteen were all in attendance of the executive session. Right now Eleven was giving his report on OMAR's efforts in South America as spearheaded by his newest hire, a former vigilante named Slick Clyde and his Coyote Cartel. The other executives knew Slick would prove to be a wildcard in any future OMAR power struggles as while the Executives held the power, already Slick and his courageous actions had begun to win the hearts and minds of the fellow OMAR workers who saw him as a man of the people who would watch out for them over his own petty interests. As such, he needed to be watched carefully by all of the executives from here on out.

"And so it's projected that the successful capture of the Venezuelan oil fields should be completed by early next year or at the latest by the end of the first quarter of the next fiscal year," said Eleven finishing his report. "After that, Clyde wants to head further south to try and capture other precious resources but with communication issues and intelligence data so hard to come by the farther you head into the continent from the north, I am remaining cautious about any such operations."

"I see," said One distantly. "Well be sure to keep us informed, what's good for OMAR is good for the world."

Eleven nodded, though merely for formality as One's automatic mention of OMAR's mission statement was beginning to wear thin after hearing it after ever report was given.

"Well if there's no new business…," One continued to conclude the meeting when suddenly a new image appeared, that of Seven in his former seat. The other Executives regarded this with some surprise as usually if Seven decided to sit in on a meeting, he'd have been there from the start. The other executives, barring One, became instantly suspicious but upon seeing Eight's confused reaction as well, they calmed down a little bit.

"Something wrong?" asked Six condescendingly. Seven was a little bit of an alarmist.

"I-I-I," began the former executive in a state of shock.

"Spit it out!" shouted Eight angrily. Seven pressed a button on his panel and an image appeared on the monitor that caused all of the executives to turn pale white.

"He has returned!" shouted Seven as the image of the limousine, tsunami, and palamino appeared and a time stamp indicating the image was captured only a few days ago. Emotions were instantly stirred as each executive considered this rapid turn of events with pure fear. All except One, who was boiling with anger for the first time in years.

"I think it's time we finally swept this problem under the rug. These troublemakers are done messing with OMAR; it's time we finally made a stand and I think Eleven's new ace up his sleeve is the right one to do it," responded One as she stared at the image of the limousine and at the mysterious white haired man with the malevolent gaze. "Send Slick Clyde and his Coyotes to destroy those invaders and give us our chance at revenge."

A new image popped up of the young man in his late 20s leaning against a town car that was equipped with weaponry of all kinds. When One saw the image of the man on the monitor, she had again had a strange sense of déjà vu as if she had seen him before somewhere, but she couldn't recall when. It wasn't from his Vigilante days, she knew about that, but it was something else, something she couldn't pinpoint.

"Perhaps I need to meet him in person," she voiced aloud.

"What was that?" asked Eleven curious and suspicious.

"You need to prepare for the event that those troublemakers head south so I will contact Mr. Clyde myself," she ordered before shifting over to look at Seven and Eight.

"As for you two, you'd both better be prepared to give whatever support is necessary for Slick's operations in your territory seeing as you've already bungled up the fact that you've been invaded by them _again_," said One disappointed. "Now move out!"

The other executives inwardly grumbled to themselves at One's seeming resurrection before their lights winked out and they went to prepare for the oncoming war.

Completely unaware that that war that would be spearheaded by the same man who was currently attacking the United States of America…

…While on a chalkboard in Loki's prison cell was a drawing of three images erupting from a time vortex: a '69 Manta, a '76 Stag Pickup, and a '70 Van.


	6. Echoes in Time

Cape Canaveral: The entire spaceport was largely in ruins but the launch tower, shuttle crawler, and launch complex were still intact although with pieces destroyed here and there. Fire crews were putting out the remaining fires as attack helicopters covered the area looking for the attackers who had rushed the base who had vanished just as quickly as they had appeared.

In the middle of the cratered runway leading up to the launch tower, a military general in full regalia looked at blurry black and white images taken from surveillance cameras as all around him, a scientific survey team in hazmat suits were taking readings on the devastation all around him.

"It's like '77 all over again," commented the director of NASA as he approached the general. "Not here, obviously, but I had a brother who worked for Hexagon Petroleum out in New Mexico and Arizona and the auto wars leveled two of their refineries."

The general made no acknowledgment of the man's statements as he glanced at a photo showing a Grubb Dual Loader being sliced and diced by the front pincers of a moon rover.

"One of yours?" the General asked needing to know. The director shook his head.

"No, we don't know where it came from. It's an older model of space rover that hasn't been used since '72 and we phased out the Apollo program in '75 when everything fell apart across the world. That we have Enterprise over there is nothing short of a miracle for space travel, one I doubt we'll ever see come to fruition," the Director responded grimly. "But at least whoever used that to defend this base knew plenty about it. They even managed to somehow activate the jets on some of the propulsion capsules we had on display to attack targets they couldn't get access to directly. Wild stuff."

The general looked at another photo that showed a limousine hovering above the air being attacked by three tiny saucers as a motorcycle-like contraption raced underneath it tangling with a Wonderwagon.

"How much of the battle did you and your fellow workers notice?" the General asked again. The Director laughed.

"Enough. I would love to get my hands on whatever powered those floating cars," the Director admitted before laughing nervously and scratching the back of his head. "I noticed the suits, are we in any danger here?"

"It is just so they do not contaminate the scene," said the General before noticing that the team was collecting their things and what evidence that had gathered and loaded it up into the truck as the lead scientist approached them.

"I trust you found out what you needed to," the general expected. The lead scientist nodded their head.

"Chronotons confirm it, some of the technology here was present day but others were not from this timeframe just like in California," the scientist revealed. "Evidently there was a temporal incursion in 1977 as we suspected whose presence is only beginning to be felt now. It looks like our concerns were justified, the timeline is in danger and given that the list of targets is one that OMAR has been favoring for some time now..."

The general gritted his teeth as the head of NASA tried to make sense of that information but was ultimately lost except for the mention of OMAR.

"Let's go," ordered the general as he headed towards the vehicle. The scientists finished packing and loading their vehicle and got in, awaiting the general who was headed that way as well.

"Wait, isn't this the part where you tell me to forget whatever happened here?" the Director called out to him wryly. The General turned back to him and smiled underneath his dark sunglasses.

"Flying cars, OMAR, chronotons, no one would ever believe you," he responded truthfully with a hint of amusement. "But I do hope the space program continues, not all threats we currently face are from our own planet."

The General got in the van and shut the door. "Make ready for Echo Base."

"Now and in the open?" asked the scientist surprised. The general nodded.

"It's a good place as any. Besides, they can't stop us, the only ones who can are the ones currently making a mess of this country and at the same time making a mess of the time stream, Vigilantes, Coyotes, and Drifters alike," said the General angrily. "Now go, we have much to do."

The scientist shrugged helplessly at that before hitting a device on the dashboard and a wormhole erupted in front of the vehicle and sucked it in to the NASA Director's astonishment who then walked off in a bewildered daze. On a nearby ridge, the being known as the Garbage Man watched with cold calculating eyes as it scanned the wormhole with a device in its hands and then lowered it as the wormhole vanished.

"Foolish humans always messing with things they don't understand," commented Padre Destino.

"That is why things must return to the ways of the Earth," commented Dusty. "Before we end up destroying ourselves in our attempts to harness those unknown ideas, Site 4 showed the folly of thinking otherwise."

"Let's go, our targets are headed north and we need to be there to continue the fight," said the Garbage Man headed for his thrashed hauler. The other two nodded and entered into their vehicles and then all three had their wheels rotated downwards and race off through the sky into the horizon.

Utah: The Olyumpus Ski Resort lay buried under tons of snow and earth as Houston visibly groaned.

"Good thing I didn't bet John money that I could defend this place any better than he defended Busted Hump," the female Vigilante remarked. "Nuts."

The All-Star Trio nodded their heads glumly. The battle had been in a stalemate for awhile until Nina had one of her lemming missiles knocked off course causing it to impact with the top of the slope and nearly bring everything down on top of them. They'd barely escaped with the only bright side being that the rich and wealthy had already long since left by that point…if that could be considered a bright side.

"I'm sure they'll find yet another ski resort to hang their hats, they always do," said Leilah observantly. "But no one will survive if they succeed in detonating the Pander Island Nuclear Power Plant in Minnesota so we'd better get moving."

Houston nodded her head as the trio headed for their camper that had a few new dings on it and it headed off down the road as Houston took one more look at the snow covered hills and then looked up into the blue sky above.

"One way or another, I will find a way back to you my love," she promised before heading for her Samson tow truck and taking off to the north.

Valdez Bay, Alaska: Chassey was shivering in the cold sea air as she looked out at an offshore drilling rig that a small boat that had just left the rig and was headed towards the shore and the Hexagon Drilling Co. Refinery.

"Here," said Chase offering her a cup of coffee that had steam billowing off of it.

"Thanks," she said grateful as she took a sip of it and then stretching her stiff neck. "That was a long car trip, even in the air."

"Yeah, for all the advances in technology, a car can only go so fast," Chase chuckled. Chassey nodded her head before looking out at the mostly unspoiled beauty of the Alaskan wilderness.

"What's it like...the future, I mean," asked Chassey. Chase only sighed at that.

"Does that answer your question?" he asked glumly. Chassey nodded.

"That bad, huh?" she responded. Chase shrugged helplessly.

"It is what it is," he responded truthfully. "But it's the only life I've ever known just like this time period is the only life you've ever known. How do you tell someone who lived before OMAR's actions in '75 what life is like now? You can't."

"Point taken," Chassey acknowledged taking a sip from her coffee. Chase sighed heavily as his eyes almost seemed to mist over. He was clearly in deep thought over something and Chassey was willing to give him the time he needed to decide whether or not to voice his thoughts.

"I can never go home again," he revealed finally. Chassey looked at him confused.

"But you still have a time machine," she pointed out, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, but I have no idea what awaits me if I ever go back. Are things better, worse, the same? I just can't bring myself to ever find out," he said sadly. "This was a one way trip and Madam Sheila always knew that; I just never considered the implications until after I'd left."

The boat reached the shore and a man emerged from it and walked up the slope of the bay towards them with an entourage of security and businessmen.

"So you're just going to give up without knowing what's going to happen?" Chassey lightly accused. Chase looked at her shocked before his expression hardened and his eyes almost seemed to glow with an internal fire.

"No. I was given one last mission before I left home and I'll complete it for all of their sakes, regardless of the consequences," he swore. Chassey nodded and slapped him on the back.

"Good, nice to see even in the future that some things never change," she responded pleased as the man who was surrounded by his entourage only a few feet away was heatedly arguing with his men before striding forward without them.

"I'm surprised that we managed to get an audience with the CEO of Hexagon Oil, how did you pull that off?" Chase asked bewildered.

Chassey gave faint smile at that. "We all have our secrets," she answered cryptically. The CEO of Hexagon stopped in front of them before turning his attention to the female agent.

"Chassey, you never call and you never write and in thirty years you never show any interest in my business and now I find you as an FBI Agent knocking on my door talking about doom and gloom for my business," said the old man shaking his head lightly with a broad grin crossing his face. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Chassey again gave a light smile and said something that left Chase utterly speechless.

"It's good to see you too, daddy,"

Mexico City: After two long years of construction, the OMAR Facility had finally been repaired after nearly being leveled by a hostile force from the future that had ended in the death of one of OMAR's board members. From her vantage point, Auntie Entity watched the workers finishing the repairs on the outermost wall just as the newly reinforced steel door retracted and in rode a heavily armed town car, two sports cars, a truck, and finally a van. The workers nearby instantly stopped what they were doing and swarmed the vehicles before giving a round of applause and cheer as each Coyote member emerged from their vehicle and into the courtyard.

Finally an even louder roar erupted as a young man in his early 30s left the town car and waved briefly at the crowd. After the applause finally died down, Auntie watched the man exchange some words with the crowd who laughed in response and then the crowd dispersed as Auntie made her way down the stairs and into the courtyard where the man was talking with the line foreman about various repairs and other matters of interest before clapping the man hard on the shoulder and sending him on his way.

"Hey," he called back to the man briefly. "Just give it some time and then it'll all work itself out."

The foreman laughed heartily at that before waving and heading off towards his crew as the younger man grinned before noticing Auntie and crossing his arms with his crystal-topped cane in an eerie reproduction of the photo she had seen him in back at OMAR's headquarters.

"Something I can help you with, miss…?" he began intentionally trailing off with her name. Auntie gave him an annoyed look.

"Even though we haven't met, you should know who I am," she responded, a little miffed. The man gave a slick smile at that.

"Of course, Auntie, what an honor," he said sarcastically. Auntie growled at his comment and was equally frustrated at having to look at her reflection on the man's aviator glass.

"You don't like me do you?" the female accused. The man shrugged.

"It's nothing personal, I'm just not a fan of the way you and the other OMAR Executives are running this company," the man admitted truthfully. "You did well starting off, but now you're wasting your time in finally conquering the global oil market. America and what's left of the free world that hasn't collapsed won't stand by and be complacent while you decide what your next step in what to do with the world and apparently someone finally decided to take the step that you're unwilling to."

Auntie's head snapped up at him. "You know why we called you here?"

The man nodded. "Even down in South America we heard rumblings about someone with advanced technology, similar to what leveled this place, attacking installations across the US. Seems reasonable OMAR would be threatened by this new power."

"But do you feel we should be negotiating with this person and not going after them?" Auntie had to ask. The man nodded his head.

"Ordinarily, yes, but I don't think OMAR is one to stare a gift horse in the mouth so there must be some reason why negotiation is out of the question," he answered. Auntie nodded.

"Yes, the person primarily responsible for what's going on marched into our Kuwait facility two years ago and told us that one day he would return and that we should just leave him be," she told him as she walked over and slapped a dossier against his chest that the man then took hold off. "Given that he attacked OMAR before, I think he intends on taking over once he's done with America. We can't allow that under any circumstances and that's why you're here."

"I agree and I'll get the job done. But you'd better have a very good plan for what OMAR's next step is once I stop this person and get back or you'll have to answer to me," he responded harshly and headed for his vehicle as the rest of the Coyote Cartel who were standing around in the courtyard did the same.

"You don't run OMAR any more than I do!" Auntie yelled at him, once more defaulting to her public cover story.

"Goodbye One, I wish you the best while I'm gone," the man informed her and Auntie couldn't begin to muster a response to how he knew that. The cars backed out of the courtyard and left leaving a cloud of dust and Auntie behind.

"Goodbye Slick Clyde. Goodbye soldier," she responded simply with an inexplicable broad smile and swirled around and marched purposefully into the OMAR Complex.

Washington D.C.: The nation's capital had definitely seen better days as it largely fallen into either dilapidation or disrepair as Keiko and Lord Clyde sat in one of the few remaining restaurants eating a meal as the White House and it's heavy defenses lay across the street visible through the front windows.

"You know it's funny, but I think this is my first time in D.C.," Clyde remarked offhand with a chuckle as he took a bite out of his burger. Keiko found that curious as she ate her salad.

"You never came and visited your wife?" she inquired. Clyde shook his head.

"Before we got married I always said I would and after…well it was too late then," he responded sadly. "I wish you could've met her, I know you and her would've gotten along great."

Keiko nodded and silence soon set in.

"I read the report from Dallas XIII," she finally admitted. Lord Clyde nodded his head.

"I know,"

"If what he said is true and one of the combatants is…," Keiko trailed off. Lord Clyde shook his head.

"Don't concern yourself with it. This was a one way trip, we both knew that. We can never go home again because of the decisions we've made. So continue with the mission because it's all we have left," he told her. "Live for the present. Fight the future."

Keiko nodded as she poked her fork at her salad and looked up with renewed resolve. "I still want to meet her."

Clyde nodded with a smile. "Don't worry; I have little doubt that you will."

Alaska, Mountain top overlooking the Hexagon Oil Refinery: Molo stood shivering as he rubbed his arms underneath his jacket as Dallas XIII stood observing the refinery below.

"You know metal butt, if I was in charge we wouldn't even be here," Molo complained to the robot. "Never hurts to switch over to the winning team."

The robot swiveled to face him. "THIS UNIT IS NOT PROGRAMMED TO FOLLOW ORDERS FROM ANYONE OTHER THAN LORD CLYDE AND KEIKO UZUMI. ANY ATTEMPT TO ALTER THAT DIRECTIVE WILL BE TERMINATED."

Molo held up his arms in surrender at the robot's glowing eyes. "Man, calm down it was a joke! Don't you robots have any sense of humor?"

Dallas XIII eyed the youth with what seemed like doubt before returning its attention to the oil field and the conversation happening below.

Hexagon Oil Main Office: "You're the daughter of the famed oil tycoon Red Blue of Hexagon Oil?" shouted Chase in disbelief. Chassey nodded as Red eyed the man curiously from across his desk. The three had come in and sat in the heated building and were now in the CEO's well furnished field office.

"What does he mean 'famed', I'm not famous for anything except owning the largest oil company not under OMAR's control," he remarked offhand. "Not that I'm complaining mind you about being recognized by someone not trying to run me into the ground."

"Don't ask," Chassey groaned at Chase's outburst. Clearly her father had been given an elevated stature in forty years' time.

"But I will ask why you're here," her father said accusatorily. "And I don't think it's to mend broken emotional fences from years past, not after you and your team of so called Vigilantes were partly responsible for the near destruction of two of my facilities back in '77."

"No, daddy," Chassey confirmed, though beginning to feel angered by his comments and at the same time remembering why she rarely spoke with him over the years. His main concern was his oil fields, it always had been. "I'm here because just like two years ago, your business is under threat by outside forces."

Red growled at that. "**OMAR**."

"I'm afraid so," Chassey agreed. "Right now there's an attachment of armored vehicles coming to destroy this facility.'

Her father regarded that statement curiously. "Now why would they try that, they know I've armored my more distance facilities from just about anything they can throw at me."

"I'm afraid their technology level has just jumped a level or two, sir," Chase chimed in. The CEO eyed him doubtfully.

"Even if it had, OMAR gave me a personal assurance after their 1977 attempt failed that any further attempts to muscle in on my business wouldn't be through physical force but through cutthroat business tactics," her father revealed.

"WHAT?" shouted Chassey and Chase stunned that OMAR had been in personal contact with Hexagon.

"Why are you so surprised? That's how business rivalries usually are, OMAR just got a little too full of themselves and overstepped their bounds two years ago when they physically went after me with those Coyotes," said Red with disappointment in OMAR's choice of action two years ago. "But that's all in the past now."

"And the future," Chase grumbled. Chassey looked at her father concerned.

"Why do you think OMAR would ever keep their promise?" she asked at a loss. Her father was many things, but he was no fool. To that Red give a broad grin of amusement.

"Because the young man who came and delivered that message to me wasn't thrilled about it," he recalled chuckling. "But he was very professional and even took me around the facility and noted various areas where I could improve my defenses in case anyone did attack. In fact I'll just say it, even for being someone who wanted to see me fail, I really liked him."

Chassey stared at him with wide eyes. "Did this person have a name?" she demanded. Her father shook his head.

"No, I asked that he give it to me but he said he had his reasons for remaining silent," he responded. "I tried to offer him a job but he turned me down, although he did let me take a photo with him. I think I have it here somewhere, but is it really that important?"

Chassey tried to contain her inner emotional turmoil as she lightly nodded her head. "Although you never approved of my leaving the modeling to join the Bureau, I may be able to identify the man."

"Suit your self," said her father looking at his various photos around him and then finding the one in particular and handing it to her. What Chassey saw caused her heart to drop as in the background her father began grilling Chase about his interest in all of this.

"_Slick…_," she said softly as her hand lightly brushed across the photo of Slick Clyde as she had always remembered him standing next to her father in this very office. Chassey was never one to let her emotions get the better of her, but the only way she could envision Slick turning against her and the Vigilantes would be if he had become a complete monster. Chase certainly seemed to view him that way and Chassey had somehow tried to convince herself that it had to be the case. And yet looking at this photo of the man she had grown to care about during their time together as Vigilantes, even through the darkness that seemed to have cast more of a presence in Slick's eyes, she could still see the joviality that made her laugh.

"_What happened to you, Slick_?" was the one she had to wonder. The question to which she had no answer and when she did find out, she had a feeling she'd come to regret knowing what it was. Chase either didn't have the answers she was looking for or wouldn't tell her, which left only one man that did…

"What do you mean you're from the future?" her father demanded suspiciously of Chase. And then her present situation tore Chassey away from those thoughts as they once more had to buried deep within her where no one but herself could find them.

Echo Base, Location and Temporal Coordinates Unknown: "Alert, alert, prepare for an incoming wormhole!" shouted a voice over the loudspeaker as scientists in white lab coats and soldiers in full combat regalia cleared the arrival area as red warning lights began flashing. Artificial lightning crackling outward from a central focal point as a wormhole erupted and spewed out the van from Cape Canaveral that instantly screeched to a halt. As crews came in and hosed off the vehicle with some kind of special spray and once the mist dissipated, the general and his crew emerged.

"I need to speak with the Supreme Leader immediately," the General told his aide who nodded and led the General to a room with a large blast door on it, which clanked open and the General stepped inside only to have it close behind him, bathing him in darkness. And then a lone light flipped on at the end of the room showing a darkened individual.

"Speak," said the voice of the other person in the room. The General nodded.

"It's as we feared, the individuals harassing the United States in 1979 are indeed from the future," the General confirmed. "The exact year they came from is not yet known, but it appears to be sometime in the early 21st century. And they're definitely from a future version of OMAR, a worst case scenario if there ever was one."

The individual laughed at that. "Oh, I'm afraid it's much worse that that. Our sensors detect a set of dual physical-temporal signatures in 1979."

The General paled at that. "You can't be serious, one individual from the present and another one from the future?"

"Yes and the native signature comes from a contemporary OMAR insertion team of the Coyote Cartel that has now entered the United States," said the individual as a large map appeared on a screen above their heads showing two dots, one in Texas heading north and the other on the Eastern Seaboard headed north towards Pennsylvania.

"What is contemporary OMAR's intention in invading the United States?" asked the General.

"Unknown, but it is unlikely to be altruistic, not if I know the leader of both OMAR teams as well as I think I do," answered the figure and then two images took the place of the US map; one of the older Lord Clyde and the other of the much younger Slick Clyde.

"Then the events Loki foretold are now coming to pass," stated the General as if he were about to face his own death.

The individual nodded his head. "That is why we must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to prevent that outcome from occurring. Get back to work general, everything that we have worked these past several months to prevent is about to come to fruition.

We cannot allow the end of time to come to pass…"

Texas: The five cars of the Coyote Cartel swept north through San Antonio and kept driving into the night. Inside his town car, Slick Clyde watched the white stripes in the middle of the road pass underneath his vehicle before turning his attention briefly to the photo sitting on his dashboard containing a grainy image of a much older man with a monocle and a cane not too dissimilar from his own standing in front of an Excelsior Stretch Limousine.

Seeing that photo, it easily brought back the memory of his encounter with the enigmatic man back in Convoy's truckstop. After all, in Slick's experience there were very few people who would just offer free advice without an ulterior motive behind it. And the older man had one major motive behind finally convincing Slick to do what he did in that truck stop bathroom by placing Houston's armband on. It had changed his life, he had no regrets about that, but there was a certain code of conduct Slick abided by and this older man was violating that code by being here.

Slick knew he had to stop him, he had no choice, and whatever consequences arose from their inevitable encounter was of no concern to him. He would do his job and then one day, he would rise to command OMAR and the world would be his for the taking and nothing would stand in his way.


	7. The Coyotes Arrive

Dallas, Texas: Slick Clyde and his Coyotes stood opposite a large pane of glass that housed several tvs on the other side that were broadcasting images of the various auto battles that had been occurring over the past few weeks. One image of particular interest, and of extreme concern to the reporters and the country at large, was the purported photographs of flying cars over Long Beach fighting amongst the burning dock area.

"We may be a little out of our league, boss," admitted Slick's second in command, Nick Nitro. Slick said nothing in response as he began analyzing the footage of the fighting at Cape Canaveral and his eyes narrowed as he noticed a Thunderbolt clashing with the Stretch Limousine.

"JT," he said softly before tipping his head in respect at the Vigilante's efforts to champion the old cause of Vigilantism, even if the times had changed and he was now doing it for the wrong reasons. Then the footage again shifted to interviewing a long beach dock foreman and his opinion on the matter.

"We'll manage, we always do," the Coyote leader answered as he always did when the group faced overwhelming odds. "But we can't do anything sitting around here."

Slick turned and headed back for his vehicle with a wish of his brown duster that he was wearing around him.

"Oh and I'd like to thank Chassey Blue for coming to my aide in defending the port," said the foreman finally with a big smile. Slick paused briefly at that and then kept walking to his car.

"So where do you think the next battles will take place?" asked Nick curious. Slick turned to look at him.

"Sunshine Steel Works in Pennsylvania, the Pander Island Nuclear Power Plant in Minnesota, and the Hexagon Drilling Company in Alaska," Slick responded cryptically after a moment's thought.

"How do you know that?" asked Nick curious as Slick sat in his car with the door still open.

"Because they're the places I would go after next," he responded with a haunted expression on his face before slamming the door shut and taking off towards the interstate.

Valdez Bay: "While I will admit that this is something to see, are you sure he's on the level?" asked Red while looking at Chassey's flying car before him. Chassey shrugged as Chase was seen wandering the oil fields trying to determine possible weak points in the facility while becoming increasingly frustrated that Slick Clyde had evidently discovered them all. Which meant that if he was still going after this location that he knew how to circumvent the defenses Hexagon had installed.

"You've never needed me to make up your mind for you in the past," Chassey responded, a mixture of light humor and resentment over that fact. Red nodded at that, oblivious to her feelings.

"Still, this is a lot to take in for anyone. OMAR from the future wanting to take out my oil fields in the past…I almost wonder if…," he began and then trailed off before chuckling to himself as a thought occurred to him.

"What?" asked Chassey concerned. Red had a big smile break across his face as he kept toying with the idea in his head.

"Do you think if I rung up OMAR, the OMAR of today that is, that they'd come and help defend this place?" he asked before laughing hysterically at the idea. Chassey almost wanted to laugh with him at the strange idea before her mind finally began contemplating that statement and she stared off towards the southern horizon and wondered what OMAR was up to during all of this. They certainly wouldn't sit by resting on their laurels while the fight for America's future and by extension what remained of the free world was going on.

"_What if…_?" she couldn't help but wonder to herself. And then the sound of footsteps crunching against the snow was heard and she looked up at Chase running for his car.

"It's time!" he shouted as an explosion went off and an oil tank exploded as overhead the Palamino XIII shot by and Molo's bus was seen in the distance taking fire and giving plenty in return. Chassey turned and bolted for her Vertigo before turning back to her father who was rushing towards his security detail.

"The ball's once more in your court Chassey, do not fail me again," her father warned as he got into one of the vehicles and it sped off. Chassey growled at that before getting into her car and firing it up and racing into battle to avoid thinking about her strained relationship with her father.

Pander Island Nuclear Power Plant: Street lights and other lighting sources provided an almost daytime glow to the power station as nighttime set in.

"This is going to be a tough job," said Tomey noting the large size of the installation and primarily the twin reactor core towers.

"And dangerous," Leilah rightfully pointed out, looking at the reactors a little fearfully. "One of those goes and this whole area will be uninhabitable for who knows how long."

"So then how do we win? We failed at the ski resort and from the sounds of things, the collateral damage at the other battle zones hasn't been very small," Romey asked. Houston stood up from where she'd been sitting and nodded in the affirmation at a small campfire in the distance.

"The only way we can, by convincing our opponents that this fight isn't worth it," she declared and hoped in her truck and rolled off towards the fire and the place she knew Boogie and Nina were.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Nighttime had fallen on the Steel City as the Vigilantes rolled into town and found a motel to spend the night. In one of the many expensive hotels in the city, which rarely saw much use with the state of affairs the world was currently in, sat Lord Clyde and Obake looking at a 3-D image of the Sunshine Steel Works located just outside of the city limits.

"The key will be to destroy the furnaces so that the resulting molten steel and slag wind up causing the most collateral damage," Lord Clyde concluded before shutting down the image. "Well if that's about the whole of it, really. If you have any new business to bring up then you had better get some slee-."

BEEP BEEP BEEP

An alarm startled the both of them as Keiko leapt up and unsheathed both of her katanas in a defensive posture. Lord Clyde instead pulled out his smart phone and took a look at the readout.

"What is it?" asked Keiko concerned before taking a moment to determine there was no real physical danger and put her katanas away.

"Oh, nothing just a reminder that I've got the newest update from the contemporary OMAR servers," responded her father. "Go get some sleep and don't worry about it anymore."

"If you insist," said Keiko yawning. "Goodnight papa."

Lord Clyde tipped his head in her direction as she went to her room before he held the smart phone in his hands and began flipping through the various pieces of text and images that had been sent.

And then his eyes fell on one in particular and his heart briefly stopped and he was so at a loss as to what to do next and he tossed the phone onto the table and sat in deep contemplation.

"_I know those bastards would do this to me_," he thought angrily. He had always wondered how OMAR would respond to his actions along with his threat from two years ago, whether complacency, silent resentment, or take up arms against him. They'd chosen the last choice and it didn't surprise him knowing what was now left of the executive board, he'd just been in extreme denial over who they'd send after him. After all, there was no one currently working for or affiliated with OMAR that was even remotely qualified to take him and his fellow Coyotes on and it left him with a dilemma about what to do next.

"_I'll do the only thing I can do, complete the mission_," Clyde decided and then took one last look at the image of Slick Clyde conferring with Seven and Eight before shutting off the phone and heading off to sleep, refusing to be concerned with things that were out of his control.

Oklahoma City: "Now are you going to give me what I want or am I going to have to take it from you?" Slick demanded of Eight. The Coyotes were in one of OMAR's covert field office where Seven and Eight had flown in to meet them from Portland.

"You forget your place, you're not an Executive so do not presume to be able to order me around!" Eight retorted angrily. Slick laughed at that.

"If you're so powerful, then why haven't you done anything to stop these invaders who nearly brought OMAR to their knees?" he asked the one question Eight had no real prepared answer for. "I know you don't like me and I don't like you, but I get results and I can't do that as easily without OMAR's support. So give me what I need and I'll leave you alone that much sooner."

Eight grunted at that. "Very well, Seven will draw up a requisition list from what supplies we have on hand and do the best he can to outfit your unit. But I had better not see you again anytime soon requesting more supplies."

Eight turned to leave before adding one last statement. "When I look into your eyes, I see the same ambitions I had when I first joined OMAR and the feeling of invincibility. But times change and OMAR has changed along with it and the avenues of advancement that once existed are now closed. I know that you want to be a part of OMAR's Executive Board but it'll never happen. We haven't added any new board members since we planned our takeover of the Middle Eastern oil supplies and now that we're successful that resolve has only stronger that we are the top of the OMAR food chain. So why do you think that a former enemy who ruined our attempts at conquering America stands any chance?"

Slick gave him a smile and a statement that caused Eight to internally recoil in terror the same way he had when he'd seen the older man invade their Kuwait facility two years ago.

"Like you said, times change,** and soon the time will come for me to claim what's mine**," Slick declared and left with his team to get their supplies and finally some sleep before their busy day tomorrow.

Alaska: The occasional sky hammer mortar was seen arcing through the sky over the fires that raged across the facility that gave an eerie glow in comparison to the Aurora Borealis that was seen high above their heads. The fighting had been fairly fast and intense in the opening moments but as the night dragged on neither side was getting much headway. Slick's suggestions for defenses had been genuine ones and the gun towers and missile batteries had been put to good use in keeping the bus and Palamino at bay but on other hand, it had been a long day for Chase and Chassey and while Molo's actions got a little sluggish at times, Dallas XIII continued with the same ferocity they had first seen on those California docks.

"Doesn't this robot ever tire?" Chassey complained bitterly as the Palamino continued dogging her on her tail.

"He's not technically a robot, he's a bio-droid or as you refer to it in your time, a cyborg," answered Chase as he tried to drive the Palamino away. "Cybernetics and AI haven't advanced yet to the point where we can have a fully functioning robot so Dallas is just the latest advancement in a line that started out with Houston and her predecessors."

"So it can tire?" was Chassey's next question as her car dove into a large piece of piping that was lying on the ground.

"Unknown, only OMAR from 2019 would know for sure," Chase responded as he dove into the pipe after her. As the three vehicles shot out the other end, Chassey began looking around frantically for Molo and then found him racing towards the administrative offices of Hexagon.

"Chase, don't worry about me, go after the teenage slob on six wheels!" shouted the former actress.

"No can do, CC, I have to keep you alive," said Chase as he gritted his teeth while grinding up against the Palamino trying to veer it off course. "But I do have a third option, your special weapon."

"What special weapon?" demanded Chassey as Dallas's Mega Collider rocketed past her car and blew up a stack of nearby oil drums, blasting them off into stratosphere.

"Oh, just a little something President Sheila and the R&D boys whipped up and I had put into your car," Chase responded off hand.

"And you didn't think to tell me this before now?" shouted Chassey back at him as she moved left and right to avoid the bruiser cannon shots and bullseye rockets that drew ever and ever closer.

"I'm sorry but it relies on 2019 technology and I'd hoped you wouldn't have to use it and pollute the timeline," was the CIA Agent's response. "But clearly we have no other choice, so fire it up."

Chassey scrolled through the menu on her HUD and came to the special weapon.

"It says there's a password lockout code," she responded anxiously as Molo's bus began firing on the building.

"Hmm, you'll have to give me a minute to see if Madame President wrote it down in my PDA," said Chase perplexed as he fought to control his car and grab for his electronic device.

"I don't have a few minutes, I'll just have to guess," said Chassey as she angled her car towards the administration building that was slowly being blasted away. The FBI Agent had to force herself away from that image ahead of her and focus on what the password was. Truthfully there could be near infinite possibilities, but she knew that wasn't the case, it had to be something simple that she could figure out, after all Chase had said the weapon was designed specifically for her. And her thoughts turned to Sheila and the password was clear.

"The password is 'sister'," Chassey said knowingly and the password was verbally input on the advanced HUD and it was immediately accepted.

"Star Power activated," the computer responded as the trunk on her car popped open and the slammed shut as a satellite went flying overhead and locked in on Molo's bus and fired a powerful laser that flung the vehicle away from the building in a giant cloud of smog from the bus's special weapon.

"Ha, ha, ha, success!" said Chassey pleased as the satellite returned to her. Things were beginning to look up for the first time in a long time since she had first learned about Slick's arrival from the future and she finally felt a grin begin to reach her face.

"DOUBLE!" shouted a voice as the mega collider raced ahead of her once more and ignited the smog left behind and a wall of flame advanced on the building and covered it in flames.

"No!" shouted Chassey before the surrounding gas tanks exploded and the whole building was blown to smithereens. As she raced towards the building, Dallas XIII and Molo quickly fled the scene knowing they had succeeded in their goal.

Pander Island: Boogie and Nina were warming themselves by the campfire as they looked out through the clearing at the nuclear power plant.

"Are you sure this is the next target?" asked Nina doubtfully. Boogie nodded his head in affirmation.

"That's what the music sheet directions said," he said for added emphasis, those his vernacular left much to be desired in Nina's opinion.

"Yes but attacking a tourist destination for rich gringos is one thing…but this-," she began before being interrupted.

SNAP

Nina and Boogie tensed up as four shadows emerged from the bushes.

"Hold up, we come in peace!" Houston pleaded as she appeared in the light of the fire with her hands up. Boogie and Nina looked at each other uncertainly before figuring they had little to lose at this juncture.

"Fine, but all of you had better have los manos adelanto or we'll start shooting," said the fiery Mexican. "Now out into the light and sit down on the other side of the fire."

Houston, Tomey, Romey, and Leilah came out with their hands up and slowly took a seat and then after a couple moments of looking ridiculous, Nina agreed to let them lower their hands onto their laps with a promise of no sudden movements.

"So Houston, did my charm finally break through that cold exterior of yours and warm your heart to me?" asked Boogie hopeful as Nina groaned.

"Just stop talking or I'll take my chances and beat you to a pulp," the former OMAR operative replied. "Just because I changed sides and removed my exterior OMAR implants doesn't mean I still don't possess the advances they made to my internal physiology. I'm as strong now as I was then and you don't want to find that out for yourself."

Boogie gulped nervously at that and shied away under the claim that he had to go take a leak. After he had gone, the two sides looked each other over for several moments in silence.

"You're Nina Loco, right?" asked Houston. Nina was a little surprised by that.

"How do you know that?" she asked curious.

"I'm old friends with John Torque," Houston explained as Nina nodded her head.

"And how is mi enemia?" she asked, a little surprised that she found herself really wanting to know.

"He's a little upset that he's not here in my place bringing you in," the Vigilante responded truthfully before she and Nina broke out into friendly laughter.

"But really, what brings you to our little encampment?" asked Nina with all seriousness. Houston nodded before turning reflective in the fire.

"I don't mean to sound presumptuous, but from what little John has told me, and from what I remember of our brief time together under Sid Burn's leadership, I feel as though we're kindred spirits," Houston admitted truthfully. "I know what it's like to be burdened by the decisions of your past and feeling like there's no where else to go. It can be a trap that feels impossible to escape from and you think you're only digging a hole deeper and deeper the more you go on. I felt that way as a cyborg and even when I was freed from OMAR's control, I found nothing but depression over the things I had done under their control…and although I have no memory of my past, I get the impression that similar feelings were what drove me to OMAR in the first place to become a monster."

Nina thought about the things Houston had just admitted to for several moments before finally speaking up again.

"So how did you finally break free?" Nina asked softly as she poked at the fire with her stick to keep it stoked.

"I found the Vigilantes and Convoy, friends who would accept who I wanted to be rather than the person I was, and they helped me through the worst of it. I'm still fighting the occasional demon that shows up every now and then but I know I have support," Houston explained as she got up along with the All-Star Trio. "I know I won't be able to convince Boogie to walk away, but I just wanted you to know that if you ever genuinely want to turn over a new leaf, that we'll be here for you. Goodnight."

The group was leaving as Nina mulled over and then finally she spoke up before they were gone from sight.

"I'm sorry for what Lord Clyde did to your husband," Nina responded geniunely. Houston nodded as a tear began to well in her eyes that glistened off of the light of the fire.

"Thank you," she said and then was gone. Nina watched them go before clasping her hands in front of her face and looking out at the power plant before Boogie returned to the campsite.

"How about a late night dance?" he asked hopeful. Nina gave him a look of disgust and walked off towards her El Camino and soon went to sleep in her tent that was resting on the bed of the vehicle.

Morning Came…

Alaska: "Well done, Chassey, well done," complained Red angrily. "You only succeeded in destroying a third facility of mine!"

"I did everything I could to save this facility and we salvaged 80% of the tanks and 70% of the piping, not to mention nearly all of the machinery and your derrick out there!" his daughter shot back at him. Red had been pulled from the debris along with the survivors of his staff from the wreckage of the administration building after several frantic moments of digging. Now her father was being treated for cuts and bruises at the makeshift field hospital tent and he was none too happy about how the battle had gone.

"Yes, the results are statistically sound but your battle was sloppy. You merely reacted to their advances and you never took control over the battlefield and made them react to you. It was because of that that you gave up more ground and allowed more devastation to occur than would have happened if you'd just taken charge," her father explained frustrated. "If I led my company based on the moves OMAR had made during the early to mid-70s, there would be no Hexagon Petroleum, remember that."  
"I will," Chassey sighed. "The next time will be different I promise you."

"Oh it will, but not because of your actions," her father shot back. And then when Chassey gave him a perplexed and angry look, he held up a fax he had just received.

"Attention: Hexagon Petroleum Conglomerate CEO Redford Blue. From: Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime Executive Board. Have infiltrated Coyote Cartel into United States to aid in protection of your assets by engaging the enemy in auto combat. Will send envoy from local field office to meet with you at your discretion to discuss further options. Thank you for your understanding in this difficult matter," said Chassey reading from it incredulously. "And you believe this bunk?"

"It makes logical sense. If the OMAR of the future had to come back to this time to run my company into the ground then that means that the OMAR of today kept its word and never physically went after my assets until whomever is in charge in 2019 decided to do otherwise. That means that OMAR as it is run today can be trusted to keep its word and is taking a proactive approach to attacking this enemy, something which I approve of," said her father. "I have a meeting with Numbers Seven and Eight of OMAR's Executive Board back in the main office in Seattle and I expect it to be a fruitful discussion thanks to everything you've told me about what's going on."

Chassey was stunned at that and R. Chase even more so as he desperately brfrom this time period as Red Blue got up after having been patched up and made his way to his private jet that standing by on a runway near the oil field.

"And how do you expect OMAR to be able to defend your assets when we couldn't?" Chassey demanded as her father made his way up the steps.

"Because back when OMAR promised to defend my assets in the event of an external attack, I asked that they put one man in charge of that defense to whom I can remotely trust to get the job done," her father explained and then dropped a bombshell on them both. "The man's name is Slick Clyde. I hope when I see you around Blue it's in another 30 years and in a much better situation."

Her father finally entered into his plane along with his staff and doctors and the plane taxied onto the runway.

"We have to get to a radio and tell my father who is really going after him this time!" Chassey shouted at Chase as the plane noisily took off.

"Would it make any difference?" asked Chase doubtful. "Your father values logic and logically speaking Slick has abided by the treaty between OMAR and Hexagon. He never attacked Hexagon in his present, but there was no part of that agreement that said you couldn't go after it in the past. Besides that, you know Slick better than anyone so do you believe his present self would go after his future self?"

Chassey pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on.

"Yes, yes he would. He would do whatever was necessary to keep his word…and the word of whomever he was working for," said Chassey. "It was the one thing I admired most about him; that he'd always do what he promised even if he didn't like it."

She missed Chase's haunted expression at her last statement because her eyes were closed shut.

"If the Coyotes are here from this time period then we're all in big trouble," Chase promised her. "Let's go, we have to get back to the states and I think it's time we finished playing the solo game, it isn't working anymore because the rules and the players of this little game have changed."

Chassey brightened up at that. "Then you mean-?" she asked hopefully. Chase nodded his head.

"It's time we met up with the Vigilantes," he swore and both then ran to their vehicles and headed south.

Drifters Camp, Myrtle Beach: The Garbage Man, Padre Destino, and 'Dusty' Earth were heatedly arguing over their failure at Cape Canaveral to stop the stop the Coyotes and Vigilantes. Padre felt he could do a better job than the Garbage Man could do and so they were they primary antagonists in the conversation with Dusty pleaded for calm and that every minute they argued, the Coyotes and Vigilantes were causing more devastation elsewhere.

The arguing probably would've continued until the sun turned supernova had outside forces not intervened.

The three were buffeted heavily by high winds as an army cargo plane roared by overhead and then after performing a couple of sweeps, landed nearby on the shore. The three drifters tensed as the rear cargo door lowered and five men walked out and up to their little campsite by the water.

"Hello boys, I can see you're having an argument over leadership, well allow me to offer a solution," said the leader of the new arrivals. "My name is Slick Clyde and I saw footage of your little fight down in Canaveral which inspired me to track you down. You did alright, you just lack focus and so I am willing to offer you my years of combat experience to lead you in exchange for some of your advanced technology. So do we have a deal because my time is short and I have to continue the fight that you seemingly have abandoned against the Vigilantes and the other visitors from the future."

The three were a little taken aback by this abrupt change in their fortunes and each looked at each other bewildered before thinking in silence over what the new arrival had just said.

The plane left minutes later leaving no one behind on the beach and headed north towards Philadelphia.


	8. Crossing Paths

Sunshine Steel Works: A freight train full of iron ore was headed for the refinery to be processed as the conductor and engineer sat in the diesel locomotive shooting the breeze.

"Got any plans for New Years?" asked the engineer drinking from his coffee cup.

"Yeah I was thinking about asking the boss for a raise," laughed the conductor as both began laughing heavily at that.

"When pigs fly," responded the engineer.

VRROOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

The sounds of loud engine noises greeted both the train operators' ears as both looked around confused since they were nowhere near a roadway.

And then panic crossed both their faces as a limousine and another strange flying contraption lowered down from above and raced alongside the train, albeit still floating in the air.

"It's the vehicles that attacked Canaveral!" shouted the conductor from what he remembering seeing in the local news.

"And now it looks like they're after Sunshine," responded the engineer, predicting what he figured they were up to. The two vehicles raced alongside the train and then pulled forward and moved off down the line racing past a bridge over a river that surrounded the Steel Works facility.

"They're going to fire on the bridge, hit the brakes!" shouted the conductor as the engineer ran for the braking switch as the two vehicles aimed their bruiser cannons at the bridge and fired, breaking the structure in two. The train immediately began screeching as the conductor and engineer were briefly flung forward as the train tried to stop its forward movement. It was after several tense moments that the two on the train realized that they weren't going to make it in time and began debating the possibility of jumping overboard when fate intervened…

POW POW POW

Mosquito gun shells erupted from nowhere and hit the switch right before the bridge that neither train worker had seen in their panic. The switch hand moved over and the track direction changed and the train screeched to a halt on a secondary line right next to the river. As the two vehicle workers breathed out sighs of relief, the saw as a black flying Thunderbolt, a Wonderwagon on the ground, and an RV being trailed by three flying saucers raced over the river and after the two flying vehicles from earlier and explosions soon peppered the landscape as factory workers fled for their lives.

When faced with such an abrupt and unexplained series of events, the two train workers did the only thing logical…they fainted.

Pander Island: Police cars rushed the nuclear facility and soon joined with local security on hand. Small structural damage marked the main control building but the twin reactors were still intact and in no danger of meltdown. As the police skidded to a halt, they found a single blue and yellow marathon car and a single occupant tied to its hood in an orange jumpsuit with a piece of tape over his mouth that read, in red lipstick no less, 'eat this'. Confused though they were by the sentiment, the police officer untied the helpless man and subsequently took him back to jail.

On a nearby road, an El Camino, Tow Truck, and Tour Vehicle moved down the road headed east.

"Thank you," said Houston grateful at Nina's actions to stop Boogie from destroying the nuclear facility.

"Let's just say that there are some things that even I refuse to do," was the response. "But don't mistake that for empathy with your cause, I go my own way. Tell John I'll be waiting for him to chase me again."

The El Camino pulled off down another road as Houston nodded her head. "I will and remember that if you ever need someone to talk to, we'll be around."

There was no response to that as Nina's vehicle vanished from sight behind a tree line.

"So where to now?" asked Leilah aloud. Houston had to shake her head at a loss.

"I have no idea," she admitted. "John said he was going to be combating Slick on the east coast so that's where I'm headed. But for you three, if you want to head home and get back on the stunt show circuit, you're only more than welcome."

"No way Aunt Houston," said Romey, referring to the term the trio had affectionately come to refer to her by. "We're in it until the very end and besides, we've never performed out east, might do so good to expand our market."

"Right, east it is then," Houston agreed. "I still wish I knew where to go."

"I might be able to answer that," said a new voice cutting in over the radio. Houston had to blink a few times as she recognized the voice, it just took her a few moments to piece together who it was.

"Chassey, Chassey Blue is that you?" the Vigilante responded surprised.

"In the flesh," Chassey responded lightly. "How've you been?"

"Oh, through hell and back," Houston told her before scanning the road. "Where are you because your radio signal seems to be really strong?"

"Right above you and coming in for a landing," said the FBI Agent to Houston's confusion. And then the sound of a loud noise roaring overhead was hear as two flying cars came in low overhead and then landed on the road in front of them as Houston and the All-Star trio came to a stop. Houston immediately got out of her vehicle and advanced on the blonde haired former Vigilante and both enveloped each other in a friendly hug.

"Oh, Chassey, you have no idea how good it is to see you again," said Houston gratefully as Chassey expressed a similar sentiment. "All-Star Trio, Tomey, Romey, and Leilah, this is my old friend from the auto war days, Chassey Blue."

"And this is my partner R. Chase and I believe you already know who Houston is," Chassey introduced the CIA Agent. "And I believe that you and I have a lot to catch up."

"An understatement of the year if there was one," Houston pointed out. "I think there's a Stuckey's just down the road, let's get some lunch first and then talk things over."

Chassey nodded and the group ran back to their vehicles and all moved down the road together.

Sunshine Steel Works: As the Vigilantes and Coyotes from the future went at it in dogged combat, none of them noticed eight vehicles come to a halt on a nearby ridge and their owners disembark and take a seat looking down on the skirmish below.

"Why are we not attacking?" demanded the Garbage Man immediately. "We have numerical superiority and surprise on our side."

"And what happens when that surprise is over?" Slick asked pointedly. "We'd have no knowledge of our enemies' strategies and tactics and end up in a war of attrition. When we strike, we'll do so on our terms and wipe out all those who oppose us. But if you're anxious enough to go and get yourself killed in some futile gesture, you're only more than welcome; it'll save me the trouble of having to order around a fool in battle."

The Garbage Man huffed at that but otherwise remained silent, opting instead to analyze Slick Clyde instead of the battle below. Slick knew he was being probed, but he didn't care, he had more important matters to thing about as he looked out at his binoculars and focused on the white limousine that was hovering above the air and strategically attacking various weak points on the refinery building while still being harassed by Sheila's tantrum gun and miniature flying saucers.

"Interesting tactics, boss," commented Nick on the future Coyotes tactics, completely un-phased by the flying cars. "They seem almost familiar somehow, but I suppose there's only one right way to destroy a target like this."

"And what do you make of the Vigilantes' movements?" inquired the Coyote leader. Nick focused on the Thunderbolt that was hooking it up with the Tsunami motorcycle-contraption.

"Based on what you've told me about John Torque, predictable yet not at the same time. He's no easy target as you've said on multiple occasions,"

The Tsunami and Excelsior Stretch Limousine suddenly moved straight at each other, all weapons blazing; except the shots were strategically placed to fly around the other vehicle and at their opponents and then at the last moment fly up and away from each other as the weaponry that the Vigilantes had shot at them now missed their targets and subsequently pummeled each other.

"Was that our slingshot maneuver?" shouted Nick nearly standing to his feet in shock before Slick pulled him back down to avoid being noticed.

"You sound surprised. If they really are from the future then they'd have studied from the best OMAR had to offer, that mainly being us," said their leader seemingly unmoved by his second in command's emotional outburst. "We'll adapt, we always do."

"Enough adapting, the spirits crave bloodlust and I wish to sate them!" shouted Padre, his body shaking as if he couldn't contain himself. Slick raised an eyebrow at that before looking at the other two.

"You want action? I'll let you go but only if you follow my orders once you're down there," the Coyote leader advised of the drifters. An explosion brought down part of the scaffolding that a giant electromagnet was attached to.

"What's the catch?" demanded the Garbage Man suspiciously. Slick shrugged.

"If you don't follow my orders then you'll end up dead that much quicker," he answered bluntly. "Your choice."

Each of the three thought about it and Padre and Dusty headed for their vehicles and down the hillside towards the combat zone as the Garbage Man stayed behind.

"Nothing down there to whet your interests?" figured Slick. The Garbage Man shook his head.

"I'm not just here for revenge, I have other reasons for being here," the hauler revealed. Slick nodded his head at that.

"I'd ask what they were, but I doubt you'd tell me. Although you might be interested in knowing that that lunar rover that engaged against you at Cape Canaveral just arrived," the Coyote leader shot back. The Garbage Man immediately turned his attention to the battlefield and saw a flying lunar rover begin firing on both sides.

"**Bob O.**," the hauler muttered darkly and headed for his garbage truck. Slick smiled at that before returning his attention to the battlefield.

"All too easy," the Coyote said aloud as the three vehicles entered the fray. "Now pay attention boys, we'll have them try out our tactics and note the responses. Then we'll have to devise new ones based on what we see. I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."

Stuckey's Bar and Grill: "So how'd you find us?" asked Houston of the first obvious question that sprang to her mind.

"Simple, we kept our eyes and ears open for anything strange and let's face it, Boogie is at the top of that list," said Chassey amused. Houston also chuckled at that.

"So what have you been up to?" she asked next. Chassey held up her hands in defeat.

"Fighting the good fight like always," she answered lightly before her expression softened. "I'm sorry I never tried to contact you before now, but we all have our orders."

Houston nodded. "What changed?"

"Slick Clyde is here," responded R. Chase. Houston looked at him annoyed.

"We already know that," she told him. Chase shook his head.

"Both of them are here," he clarified. A couple seconds of thought and the implications of what he'd said dawned on her.

"So what does that mean?" she had to know.

"Trouble," was all R. Chase could respond with. "That's why we have to hit the east coast as soon as possible once I've upgraded your vehicles to at least be able to match the future technology that Clyde and his Coyotes possess."

Houston nodded as she finished her lunch. "Good because I need a time travel device that they possess."

"Why, what happened?" asked Chassey genuinely confused.

"Convoy," said Houston and left it at that as she went to dispose of her garbage and to sit with the All-Star Trio who was at another table, feeling that they didn't want to intrude on grown-up time.

"Well that should be easy enough to go save him after all you have a time travel device," Chassey told Chase. The thought of immediately saving Convoy was the only thing keeping her from considering the implications about just who had gone after the Vigilantes' former leader. But as her expression tried to remain light, Chase's darkened.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Chassey," he told her. Chassey blinked and looked at him confused.

"Why not?" demanded the FBI agent. "Just go back there and save his butt and save us the trouble or bring him forward to today and we'll have him at our side when we finally get our shot at facing Slick. That'll really tee him off"

Chase listened to her speak before asking one question. "Have you considered the implications of what you're asking me to do?"

Chassey blinked at that. "Of saving a life?"

"Of altering the past," Chase told her. "Because I don't think you fully comprehend the consequences of what you're asking me to do."

"I don't see-," began Chassey when Chase held up a hand to silence her.

"You are asking me to be responsible for the deaths of over six billion individuals," he told her. "And their descendants…and their descendants…and their descendants unto infinity until humankind becomes no more."

Chassey's look of confusion was what the CIA agent fully expected to see.

"If I alter the past, then everyone you see here in this restaurant will cease to exist as they are now. What brought them to this exact spot is contingent on every interaction they have had up to this point. If the past changes, then them being here might no longer be and so they'll be different people, their previous selves eradicated when the timeline shifts. You won't exist as you are right now with me having this conversation; so in essence you're asking me to sign your death sentence. In fact, the you that you are today is not the you from my timeline. You died the moment Slick came to the past and you've been dying every second of every day since then, you've just never been aware of it."

Chassey had no response for that as she considered the implications of what Slick had done by coming back here and changing the past.

"Well if that's the case, then I'm ready to die again for a friend," she said affirmatively with a nod of her head. Chase chuckled at that.

"Brave…but foolish," he told her. "You have no idea what present awaits you if the past were to change. Would they be better, worse, the same? Can you really take that chance? Can you condemn the lives of everyone alive in this timeline on a maybe?"

Again Chassey had no answer for that.

"I wish Slick were here, the Slick I knew," she told him truthfully. "Like I said, he'd do whatever was necessary no matter the consequences."

"The Slick you knew doesn't exist anymore," Chase responded dismissively as he took a drink from his soda. "He died the minute he became a Coyote."

"So you say, yet here he is doing exactly what I expected the Slick I knew to do," she responded, depressed. "I have to see him one more time. I have to know for myself what's become of him, both his present and future selves."

"The Lord Clyde of my time is a ruthless old man who has left nothing but broken dreams and broken bodies in his wake to see OMAR reach absolute supremacy, that's all you need to know," Chase muttered. "Things were bad enough in my time, now he's set his sights on the innocents of the past. The man is a menace."

"And just who was I in your timeline?" asked Chassey, now that they'd finally found themselves in a conversation about the future. Chase eyed her strangely at that before resuming his mellow mood.

"Does it matter anymore? You won't grow up to become her now that everything's different," he responded, once more refusing to answer her desire to know her future.

"But it's affecting the present," she told him. "Slick is here now in the past and he hasn't confronted me yet and there's a reason for that."

"What are you talking about? We were over here, he was over there, that's all there is to it," said Chase trying his best to ward off her thinking. But Chassey wasn't buying it.

"No, because you called me CC on numerous occasions," she pointed out. "My initials are CB, which means that if I was called CC in your time it can only be because my name would one day be Chassey Clyde before you came back here."

Chase inwardly cringed at that. "How do you know you didn't marry me and your name was Chassey Chase?"

Chassey shook her head. "Because the timeline changed and it changed because my husband came back here to change it. But I wasn't with him and I ask you why that is."

"Because you're not evil, he is!" said Chase with an elevated voice. "And you should have never married that madman. Why you did is something we still don't know in my time."

"Don't tell me how to live me life!" shouted Chassey back at him and they were now gaining the attention of the nearby patrons. "My father tried that, he failed, don't think you'll have any better luck."

"You married the CEO of the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime, something you have been fighting against all this time," Chase whispered to her incredulously. "There's not a person alive in what remains of the free world who wouldn't be telling you the exact same thing about asking you to reconsider your decision."

"You're right they would," Chassey agreed as Chase breathed a sigh of relief. "But you need to know two things and the first is that if I saw something in Slick worth fighting for, I would do whatever it took to save him."

"And the second?" asked Chase curious as Chassey's expression darkened.

"My future husband is a greater man than you will ever have the pleasure of knowing," she told him angrily. Chase shrugged at that.

"Anything else you'd like to know?" he asked condescendingly. Chassey nodded.

"Just one," she told him. "How did I die?"

Chase instantly began choking on his drink after hearing that and started coughing heavily as he forced it down.

"Who said anything about-," he began protesting as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"My future self married Slick and that included for better or for worse. He's here and I'm not which only could mean one thing," said Chassey trailing off and becoming saddened at that prospect. "So how did it happen?"

"I can't tell you," Chase responded immediately. "President Sheila was very specific about it in the instructions she left for me. She had a hunch you'd figure out you were married to Slick in my future, but this is one mystery you won't be able to unlock on your own. I'm sorry, but that's how it has to be."

Chassey growled at that as she stood up. "Well I know someone who'll tell me."

Chase looked up at her in shock. "You can't find out, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"Like you said, I'm dying every second I'm not living _her_ life," she said of her unseen dimensional counterpart. "If her life means anything now then I have to know how she went out."

"Don't look for it, Chassey, you may not like what you find," Chase called after her as she took her trash and emptied it and strode purposefully out to her car. Chase then put his trash away when Houston stopped him.

"What did you tell her?" she demanded as Chassey's car activated its hoverpods and rose into the air and shot off without a second glance.

"Nothing she didn't already know," the CIA Agent responded truthfully as he headed for his car without another word and soon all four vehicles were racing through the skies above headed east.

Sunshine Steel Works: "Oh not these fools again," Obake complained as the trio of drifter vehicles raced across the grounds headed towards the battle.

"They'll never learn, which is why it is time to show them the door," Clyde agreed as both vehicles broke away from the Vigilantes and raced straight at the Drifters.

"We'll do a quick circle of fire with hoverpod drifting," he ordered. "Then we'll let the vultures do the rest."

"Roger," Obake confirmed. The two vehicles accelerated faster and faster as their weapons locked onto the drifter vehicles.

"Three…two…o-," began Clyde when suddenly hoverpods deployed on the drifter vehicles and they shot off high into the sky, avoiding the ring of fire and subsequently splitting up and swarming back, firing on the Coyote crafts.

"Break!" shouted Clyde as the two vehicles flew spun away from each, dodging the majority of the shelling but still taking some glancing blows.

"Evidently they've learned a trick or two, good," said Clyde pleased. "Now get them to chase us and then perform a 180 degree spin and then we'll accelerate towards them and past them and the double back in two lightning maneuvers."

"Should we not use my rift blade and your chain lightning to make short work of them?" asked Obake in reference to their special weapons.

"No, not yet, we can only use them so many times before they need to recharge and I'd rather use them when we need them," said Clyde. "Now turn!"

The two vehicles turned and fired on their opponents only to find the Grubb Dual Loader present with the other two Drifter vehicles nowhere to be found.

And then Padre and Dusty rushed in from the sides and blasted the two vehicles briefly before hurtling off into the skies above.

"How are they anticipating our movements?" shouted Obake in frustration as the Garbage Truck was about to fire on them before it was attacked by the flying Moon Rover and was forced off and away from them.

"Well it's not beyond reason that they studied the best auto-combat strategies available, mainly myself and the Coyotes of this day, but there's no way they could have anticipated my last tactic, I only devised that…one month ago…in this timeframe…," said Clyde as the gears in his mind began turning. "_Could it be possibl_e?"

"What it is father?" asked Obake concerned.

"I need you to run a trace and see if those Drifters are receiving any external radio signals," Lord Clyde ordered. "No questions, just do it."

"Right," said Obake all business as Dusty and Padre began crisscrossing the skies and firing on everything in sight.

Nearby: The Vigilantes were taking a breather from the battle as they helped escort factory workers fleeing the scene as well as rescue crews trying to save the foundry.

"Anything about that last exchange seem odd to you?" asked JT of his companions.

"Yeah, mirror images, man!" shouted Dorkiel. "Far out!"

"But what does that mean?" asked Sheila perplexed. "We've been having enough trouble with Slick's tactics these past few weeks and now these jokers go from being decimated by him to now going toe to toe? I don't buy it, something's changed, something that we're not aware of."

John hovered his car up higher to get a few of the fighting between the Drifters and Coyotes who were still going toe to toe with each other.

"Well, we know Slick pretty well so we've been able to at least survive his onslaughts fairly well, but the only person who would really be able to go the distance with him would be…," began John before his mind struck an answer and his jaw dropped. "No, it can't be…IT CAN'T BE!"

"What?" shouted Sheila and Dave's Cultsmen. John had hit the answer at the same time as Clyde did when informed by Obake that there was an external radio source present.

"He's here…," they said in unison to their respective parties.

Ridge: "Let's go boys, I think they got the message," Slick told his team. "We'll be back for Round Two and finish them all off. Padre, Garbage Man, Dusty, we're leaving and you can either come with us or stay here, it's your choice."

Padre and Dusty took off for the Coyotes as the Garbage Man evidently couldn't let go of his grudge with the Moon Trekker and the two vehicles vanished off into the horizon still blasting each other.

Down below, the future Coyotes and Vigilantes split ways and all three parties knew that when they faced again, there wouldn't be another battle after that.


	9. Confrontations

OMAR Field Office, Columbus Ohio: The five members of the Coyote Cartel and their two affiliated members were clustered around a table inside the base as they analyzed photos and video footage of the future Coyotes and the Vigilantes.

"Standard armament for the future vehicles is…relatively advanced, but likely not incredibly so. You've also got to figure that they're rearming themselves with conventional shells after they expended their futuristic ones," said Brick Bazooka, the Coyotes' weapons expert. "Their shields are likely a good deal stronger than ours, but there's no reason why a conventional shelling shouldn't get them to fail as well. Thankfully the cars' ability to fly has been negated by the technology we obtained from the Garbage Man that allows ours to fly as well, but the one wildcard is the special weapons these vehicles possess. We've seen the weapons for the bus, the Palamino, and the El Guerrero, but nothing from the limousine or the motorcycle-thing, and the Marathon is now a non-issue. And I don't like not knowing."

"The Limousine has a chain lightning special attack, but I don't know about the motorcycle," Slick spoke up. The others looked at him surprised, but knew better than to ask how their boss knew what he knew.

"And we can't use any of our existing tactics against the team from the future. We'll have to devise new ones, ones really outside of conventional theory," Slick also told them as he yawned briefly. It'd been a long drive to Columbus after the fight and they'd barely gotten any sleep before waking earlier to devise their strategy.

"That's…unfortunate," was all Nick could respond with, unsure of what else to say. "What about those still in development?"

"They'll have to be re-tweaked if not outright abandoned. They're from the future and they know all of our tactics as I said the other day," Slick answered back.

"But how could they know them all off-hand?" asked a third member of the Coyote Cartel, Kip Killigan, an expert in covert ops.

"They just do," said Slick, otherwise remaining on how he knew. "But at least we have two new temporary recruits to help us provide our own little wildcard. Work them into your strategies and it could give us a slight edge over the competition."

The rest of his team bristled at that suggestion. The Coyotes rarely looked for outside assistance to help them in their battles and then only from OMAR operatives. To work with outside help was unthinkable, but they all had to admit that these were extenuating circumstances.

"Will do, boss," agreed Nick, orders were orders after all. "I'll have something by this afternoon otherwise we'll just have to remember tactics 101 and improvise."

"Good. I have a couple of errands to run so I'll be back in a little while," Slick told them and headed for the door. "Otherwise stay alert and think up possible targets the future team will go for. And try and enjoy yourselves while we still can."

Slick then tipped his cowboy hat at them and vanished out the door.

"Where do you think he's going?" asked Brick.

"He hasn't been inside the United States in two years so he probably has some unfinished business he needs to take care of. Now c'mon, we've got work to do," said Nick as he began pulling out charts of strategies and tactics the Coyotes had used over their past several months of being a unit and beginning work on them anew.

Cleveland: The Vigilantes were now at full strength with JT, Sheila, and Dave's Cultsmen having finally regrouped with Houston, the All-Star Trio, Chassey, and R. Chase.

"Good to see you again Blue," said John Torque with a smile as Chassey laughed at that.

"You too, JT, it's nice to finally encounter some normalcy around here with a scientist turned Vigilante turned Bounty Hunter turned Vigilante again," she remarked. JT humbly nodded his head.

"So you're not in the movie business anymore?" he asked curious. Chassey shook her head.

"No," she told him, after all she knew JT never read the tabloids. "It really wasn't for me. Helping people is really more my style."

"I hear that," JT agreed. "So what's your story, CIA?"

R. Chase shrugged. "You're the genius of this outfit, you tell me."

Chassey looked at JT, bemused, knowing he'd figure it out.

"You're CIA from the year 2019," he told him. "Sent from the US Government to stop Lord Clyde."

"I'm impressed; the historical files on you were accurate," said Chase nodding his head. "How'd you know the year?"

"Times may change, but the government will always want your money," JT responded. "The stickers on your license plates read what year you came from."

Chase nodded his head as JT turned to Chassey.

"And I take it you're not happy about that fact," he said to her, sensing her inner conflict and guessing what was the cause of it. "Life's never easy is it?"

"No, it's not," Chassey agreed as she got up. "There's only one man with the answers I seek and I have to quit getting distracted and find him."

With that Chassey strode off for the door before exchanging a quick word with Sheila at a nearby table, whose eyes opened wide at what she heard. JT watched her go before turning back to Chase.

"You want to tell me what that's all about?" he asked pointedly. Chase lightly shrugged.

"I really can't," he informed him as Sheila sat next to the both of them.

"You think you can tell me? I will be your boss one day after all," she said with a hint of anger on her voice and a stare identical to one he had received in forty years time. Chase groaned deeply at that.

"Very well Madame President," he told her. "Our story begins in about twelve year's time…"

Portland, Oregon: Red Blue was walked into the OMAR territory field office, and given it was disguised as a consulting firm, was utterly bewildered, and then met with the secretary who let him inside of a boardroom with a long table where at the opposite end say Seven and Eight who promptly introduced themselves.

"I must say I'm impressed," Red admitted. "Does the US government know this is here?"

"I'm sure they suspect there is an office in the North Americas, but likely in either Mexico or Canada, not here in the contiguous territory," Eight informed him. "You are in fact the first to see this facility on a purely voluntary basis."

"Which raises the question why you asked me here at all," Red had to ask, wanting to get down to business. "Assassination of rival competitors isn't exactly your style; you more favor brute force or engineering their political downfall."

Eight laughed politely at that. "Very astute, you do know us well. But if you're referring to this nasty business with the visitors from the future, we again must apologize. Their actions are not sanctioned by our current regime and in fact they have made their own actions against us that have made us very unpleased."

Red was surprised at that. "A hostile takeover from your future selves, I must admit to not having seen that coming."

"Nor did we," Eight confessed before waving it off. "But it's of no concern any more; steps are being taken to correct that problem. But in the meantime, it has seen fit to create a situation where we can offer you a very potentially lucrative opportunity, an unprecedented one at that in OMAR's history."

Red regarding this as he did everything else…with curiosity and suspicion.

"I'm willing to at least listen to what you have to offer," he told them. Eight nodded.

"It seems that with the advent of these time travelers that OMAR is no longer just under threat from contemporary sources such as remaining free government, other rivals, and other assorted categories, but ones whom seek to not just undermine ourselves, but indeed the entire world. What this means is that OMAR now has a desire to strengthen its power base even further against these future threats and it is willing to reach out to former enemies who too may feel threatened by time travelers coming after them from anywhere and any when. After all, it is difficult enough to plan for threats in this day and age, and impossible to anticipate threats from the far future," Eight began. "To that end, you Red Blue represent the largest oil producing company not under OMAR's control. What we would like to offer you is an opportunity for a partnership, for you to bring Hexagon under OMAR's control, albeit still operating under your direct orders."

Red looked doubtful at that. "And how would that work?"

"Simple, we wish to offer you the opportunity to join OMAR's board of directors," Eight told him. Red nearly fell out of his seat upon hearing that.

"You're that scared?" he asked at a loss. Eight nodded their head.

"Aren't you? You've been able to fend us off for as long as you have, but against threats from the future you stand no better chance than we do," the board member pointed out. Red had to concede that point.

"All the same, I don't think America would like it very much if they found out I was in collusion with you," Red told him.

"No, but then again we have no reason to tell them. We'd rather deal with you than have your operations seized by the government. We can take steps to prevent that, ones that you simply do not have at your disposal," Eight told him before producing a thick document and sliding it across the table. "Our offer is there and in writing. If you decide you want to play ball, we'll be waiting."

"And if I turned this over to the US government?" asked Red coyly. Eight laughed at that.

"Than our previous contract concerning no more physical attacks on your facilities would be null and void," Eight told him simply. Red also chuckled at that.

"May I offer a suggestion that would go a long way towards making me consider your request more favorably?" he asked of Eight. The Board Member nodded their head to continue.

"I propose a five year moratorium on any attacks, direct or indirect, between our two parties. These latest attacks have done a lot of damage to both of us and I think in five years time, we should be at a level of normalcy to let clearer heads decide the future," Red requested. Eight nodded their head in approval.

"I will have to run it through the board, but I see little reason why they would refuse such a request," Eight told him amicably. "We are at a crossroads in deciding the fate of our planet and what happens in the near future may decide the future for countless generations to come."

"I agree," said Red ominously. "I agree."

With that the CEO was gone and Seven and Eight began turning to the matter of the future Coyotes and the problems they were causing everybody.

Cleveland: Chassey Blue strode into a bar and walked straight up to the counter.

"What'll it be Miss?" asked the bartender wiping a glass. Chassey's head was already swimming and she hadn't even had a drink yet.

"I'll have a-a-a," she began, trying to concentrate as a figure appeared and stood next to her.

"The lady would like to have a scotch on the rocks with a slice of lemon…but since she's on duty, she'll just have a glass of water with a slice of lemon," said a voice that sounded almost familiar. "And a salad with plenty of croutons doused in ketchup."

Chassey began trembling as she heard that as the order was placed before her. She turned slowly to look at her companion, an older individual with a vest, dress pants, a monocle, and a grin that she instantly recognized.

"Slick…," she said softly, in a mild form of shock.

"Hello, Chassey, it's been awhile," said Lord Clyde. "I gather you've been looking for me."

Chassey silent nodded her trembling head.

"I've got a table out back if you want to talk," was all he said to her as he paid for her meal and left. Chassey looked at her food and drink and quickly grabbed it and went after him.

Atlantic Ocean: A private OMAR jet moved over the ocean headed east back home to OMAR's headquarters. Inside, Auntie was looking at the image of the young Slick Clyde and also the older man from the future and trying to figure out why their appearances was so unsettling to her.

"Isn't it obvious even for someone like you? **I've come through time to claim what's mine**," said the voice of the visitor from the future on the videotape she was now watching. She constantly returned to the video time and time again as if to divine some truth about the man on the screen from what had only been a five minute encounter.

But it revealed nothing new and so Auntie sighed and took another sip from her drink before picking up the betamax tape of Slick Clyde's encounter with Seven and Eight. She stuck it into the tape player and began watching it in silence as a heated conversation erupted between Slick and Eight as she suspected it would.

So why do you think that a former enemy who ruined our attempts at conquering America stands any chance?" demanded Eight.

"Like you said, times change,and **soon the time will come for me to claim what's mine**," Slick declared in a gravelly voice. And then Auntie's heart stopped and her drink fell from her hand and shattered on the carpet. She was so frozen that she lost track of her surroundings and the time and before she knew it, they were in Casablanca.

"Miss?" asked the pilot, a man by the name of Captain Walker, concerned when she didn't get up to disembark. "Are you alright?"

Auntie looked up at him with shell shocked eyes.

"He did it," she declared softly. "He really did it. He made a promise and he stuck with it. What could drive a man to keep a promise for so many years and do the unthinkable to see it accomplished….?"

Auntie had to be escorted off the plane she was so heavily in shock.

Cleveland: The man once known as Slick Clyde was reviewing his notes on a table in the veranda as Chassey sat looking at him in stunned silence. The older man evidently wasn't going to goad her into talking and also refused to waste his time waiting for her to do so. Chassey opened her mouth a couple of times to speak but found no words emanating from her mouth and so she continued eating her salad doused in ketchup. Although she tried to concentrate on his face, her eyes constantly drifted down to his bare wrinkled hands and the lack of a wedding band on them.

Sensing her unasked question, Clyde reached down and pulled up his cane and placed it on the table.

"Using laser technology, this crystal was created in an exact facsimile of the ring you once wore," he told her.

"And your ring?" she asked of him finally.

"Turned into a facsimile of a crystal that is now sitting atop Slick Clyde's cane," he responded before he placed the cane against the table. "It is a remembrance of the past, the present…and the future. It is also a future that I will not let come to pass again."

"Slick…how did I die?" Chassey asked the one question she had to know the answer to.

"I can't tell you," he told her bluntly.

"But I'm your wife, doesn't that mean anything?" she declared desperately. Lord Clyde's head snapped up to stare at her.

"It means everything!" he told her sharply. "But you're not her. My wife was fifteen years older than you and died a quarter of a century ago. She's a memory…nothing more."

Chassey leaned back in her chair defeated. Normally she wouldn't have given up this easily, but this was one of the most emotionally draining situations she had ever encountered.

"If her memory means anything…if her LIFE meant anything…then you owe it to her to tell me what happened to her," she insisted, leaving no room for debate. Clyde stopped working and crossed his fingers in front of his face.

"If I told you what really happened, then everything you thought you knew would change. You wouldn't be the person you are now because your whole perception of reality would have irrevocably shifted," he told her ominously.

"Did she know who was responsible for her death?" Chassey inquired, feeling mournful for her past/future self. Clyde shook his head.

"Not definitively, I didn't find out who was responsible until some time later, but I think she suspected," Clyde figured before he looked at Chassey with a glance that seemed to stare into her soul. "Looking at you, I'm reminded of what made me fall in love with her. She was so beautiful and so smart and so dedicated. Chassey felt there was something in me that no one else in the world, not even myself, could see. She felt that if I could see it too and show it to the world that I might change, somehow. I don't know, she was always an idealist, just like you are."

"Slick, nobody is beyond trying to save," she told him. "You were my comrade and my friend and I would never desert anyone in need of help."

Clyde looked at her frankly. "Chassey, I have made some horrifying decisions in my past, but I have no regrets. I told you I would be somebody someday and I am still working towards that goal. Being CEO of OMAR was one step towards that goal and conquering American will see it finally come to fruition. I'd rather be feared the world over than be ignored."

"Slick you don't have to be that person!" Chassey pleaded. "Look at me. I became an actress known all over the country and achieved fame beyond my dreams. But I was miserable inside. I was living a life that I found completely unfulfilling and it was only being here, helping people and stopping evil that I found myself content. I won't find fame or fortune or riches, but I'll know that when I do go out, that I'll have lived a full life."

Clyde grinned at that, a little haunted. "She said that same thing to me many years ago. We never reached an agreement over that one."

Clyde then began rummaging in his wallet for something.

"But that conversation never did come up again did it?" the FBI Agent asked, pointedly.

"You realize the FBI created those doctored photos to sabotage your career, right?" asked Clyde curious, not answering her question. Chassey sighed at that.

"I suspected as much, but if ruining the life I hated to allow me to live the life I love is the penalty for that, I'm eternally grateful to them," she responded. Clyde pulled out a photo.

"Well here's a photo that's not a forgery. I think she would've wanted you to have this," the CEO told her as he slid the image across the table.

Chassey picked up the weathered photo and looked at it and what she saw caused her heart to grow soft as she looked at the image of an older version of herself laughing at something while standing next to a clearly embarrassed older/younger Slick Clyde.

"Chassey…," she said simply as her hand lightly brushed the image of her older self, feeling as though the connection might gain her better insight into the woman she would've become…and apparently had at one point.

"You were/are a greater woman than that fool R. Chase will ever have the pleasure of knowing," Chase told her in an eerie facsimile of something Chassey had said to the CIA Agent earlier that day.

"When was this photo taken?" Chassey asked. Clyde chuckled at that.

"The Bahamas in '95," he told her as Chassey whistled at hearing a date fifteen years in the future. "Three months before our wedding and three months before you died."

That last sentence gave Chassey a faint glimmer of hope that she would finally find out the circumstances of her passing.

"When I became a board member of OMAR, I took my divisions in Mexico, Central America, and South America to new heights by consolidating power on a grand scale. As a result, the US Government naturally became threatened that I would launch grander attacks on them than had occurred during the '77 auto wars. Sheila was at this point the assistant director of the FBI because of her intimate knowledge of dealing with OMAR for nearly half her life and when the new president came to office on a platform of being stronger on OMAR than ever, Sheila was instantly promoted to Secretary of State and told to solely focus on me. And so she did, compiling data, launching quick strikes against OMAR facilities when she could, etc. She did better than most, but wasn't making much leeway.

Then in one burst of inspiration, she came to you and asked you to return to the FBI and try and use your past connection with me to secretly infiltrate OMAR and cause me to make mistakes," Clyde continued. "You agreed, if only to finally find out what had caused me to go from being a Vigilante to being almost number one on the FBI's Most Wanted list."

"So I came to you, but I would never lie about my intentions to anyone I've ever called friend," Chassey filled in knowingly. Clyde nodded.

"You were completely honest and I accepted it. I let you stick around and gave you some work to do that you didn't find objectionable and we worked together for a few months all the while getting to know each other after having not seen each other for nearly ten years. We grew closer or at least as close as you and I could become what with whom we are in a world like this," Clyde continued looking around them at the urban decay as much present here as anywhere else. Chassey nodded her head, she'd suspected as much from the start. True love was a precious commodity that the world had seemingly burned itself out of when OMAR rose and the world collapsed. It was just too dangerous to commit to someone when no one knew what tomorrow would bring. Convoy and Houston were a rare exception and then Clyde had killed him.

"And then you proposed marriage?" Chassey asked, figuring that was the next logical sequence of events. Clyde nodded as he began fumbling in his pocket for something.

"It seemed the logical thing to do. We both knew we weren't in love with each other, but we did care for each other deeply more so than for anyone else we knew. We could live with a marriage of convenience and if love came later, great, if not then we'd still be happy being close friends," Clyde continued as Chassey swore his eyes were about to mist over. "You still weren't happy about me being with OMAR and I highly doubt we'd have lived together after getting married; plus you swore you would stop me from being consumed by my inner demons. You always were dedicated."

Chassey nodded her head in approval of her other self's actions before turning her attention to the other nugget of information that Clyde had dropped, about not knowing what would've happened after getting married. And yet, R. Chase had revealed that her name at one point was named Chassey Clyde, which could only mean…

"Yes," said Clyde in response to her unanswered question as he produced a small case. "You died on our wedding day not more than one hour after we were married."

Chassey's jaw dropped slightly at that as Clyde pushed the box across the table. Chassey opened it to reveal a necklace with a ring attached to the end.

"Then how did I…?" she repeated, even softer than before. Clyde sighed even deeper that before.

"If I tell you, you'd never forgive me," he said. Chassey's eyes sharpened and she crisply nodded her head once. Clyde sighed even more heavily at that and closed his eyes and rubbed them a couple of times before looking at her with blood-stained eyes.

"They killed you, Chassey. They killed you," he told her solemnly. "It was the one time I was at my weakest and they struck showing no mercy."

Chassey stared at him for several moments as the gears in her head began turning.

"**No**," she declared shaking her head vigorously when everything came into place. "No, I can't accept that. I WON'T ACCEPT THAT!"

"You know I'm telling the truth," Clyde shot back angrily. "I'm sure by now you've asked R. Chase to use his time machine to go rescue Convoy but he refused. He likes you, he always has, and he was secretly hoping to use this little trip to impress you into liking him back. But there's one inescapable fact that even he has to face…"

"No," said Chassey as tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"That they truly were Vigilantes to the end," he summed up. "That Convoy had to die in order for you to live. So as you can see, they took you from me and all that is left is revenge."

Chassey became violently ill upon hearing that and tore off away into the building to throw up. Clyde immediately began packing up as Keiko joined him.

"Was she what you expected?" he asked of her. Keiko nodded her head.

"And more," his daughter agreed. "Again, I wish I could've known her better when I was younger."

Clyde smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder. "And as I told you, she would be very proud of the woman you've become. Now let's go, we have plans to draft."

Keiko nodded and hefted a large pile of papers and binders in her arms that she had been working on while listening to Clyde and Chassey. Then she took off for her Tsunami as Clyde took one nostalgic last look into the restaurant.

"To have and to hold," he said sadly before shaking it off and grabbing his cane and briefly glancing at the crystal atop it before leaving the restaurant behind to join the rest of his Coyotes.


	10. The Truth

Cleveland: "And that's about the thick of it really," R. Chase concluded his story to a stunned audience of Sheila and JT. Houston had decidedly opted to not hear what he had to say, claiming she already had enough reason for revenge against Slick, she didn't need any more ammunition.

"You're telling me that I ordered the Vigilantes to kill Chassey?" said Sheila in utter disbelief. Chase shook his head, figuring that Sheila's confusion was her utter shock over the entirety of the story.

"No, you were convinced that she had been brainwashed somehow into marrying Clyde. But most importantly, this was the one opportunity you would have to eliminate the man who would most likely become OMAR's CEO and rule the entire world with an iron fist," Chase continued. "The President agreed with your assessment, but he couldn't commit troops to just take out one board member. So you contacted the Vigilantes of '77 to help you out. They agreed and off they went led by Convoy. What exactly happened was never made clear, only that JT, Houston, and Convoy attacked the wedding ceremony shortly after it began and that Chassey was killed in the subsequent crossfire."

"And we were the ones who killed her," JT concluded. Chase shrugged noncommittally.

"Officially no one knows since all three of you were also killed in the attack. Clyde does blame you all though for what happened," he offered optimistically. JT shook his head.

"No. We killed her," JT repeated. "From Slick's attitude and snippets of conversations I've had with him these past couple of weeks it's clear that's what happened. That's why his first act against us was killing Convoy. Ordinarily Slick would never avoid a challenge but he must've held him personally responsible for what happened to Chassey and that made him the first target on his quest for revenge. Next on his list is me but Slick and I have developed a bond that wouldn't allow him to just ambush me. He had to personally see my plans fail first. Slick's still here to conquer America, but what you just told us answers a lot of questions I'd be having about his motivations."

"I just can't believe Chassey got married to Slick," said Sheila still in shock over that one fact. She thought she knew Chassey like a sister but evidently there were a lot of things she had no clue about. The sound of screeching tires reached their ears and all eyes turned to the entrance way.

…And then Chassey strode in the door of the restaurant angrily and slugged Chase so hard he fell off of his chair.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" she shouted at him as JT and Tomey held her back from throttling the CIA Agent.

"Go ahead, but it won't change the fact that that timeline already happened!" he yelled back as he wiped a trickle of blood from his busted lip. JT meanwhile was thankful that the bar they'd chosen to hole up in was owned by a personal friend and one quick look and the bartender began leading the remaining patrons into an adjoining room.

"You shouldn't have kept the truth from me," Chassey spat out. "I had a right to know my own future!"

"And what would've happened then? You would've lost focus and been solely determined to find the future Clyde and I would've been left alone to try and defend the west coast. We saved lives because of your ignorance and we might very well have saved America as well. If that makes you hate me then I'm only more than happy to take that abuse," he swore. Chassey was still seething at him as the gold necklace with the ring on it was now adorned around her neck and hanging where all could see it.

"I want you to look me in my eyes and realize I'm going to tear you apart when I get the chance," Chassey growled angrily at the CIA Agent and then stormed out the door followed by another screech of tires as she peeled out and away. The others then sat in the barroom in silence as each tried to think about what had just happened.

"Well what's past is past, what matters is what we do about it now," said JT trying to cut in to try and get cooler heads to come in. The outside door swung open and a shadow fell onto the room, but all were too wrapped up in their own thoughts to notice.

"What indeed?" cut in a new voice that sound very familiar causing all heads to turn to the doorway and what they saw caused all of their expression to turned to a stunned stupor.

"You guys must have quite some problem if you're fighting amongst yourselves this bitterly because this never happened in my day," the man reminisced before he gave them a smug smile. "Hello JT, Houston, Sheila, it's been awhile. Did you miss me?"

Standing in the doorway was the 1979 Slick Clyde in his duster, designer cowboy clothes, and cowboy hat who then advanced into the bar.

Elsewhere: Lord Clyde, Obake, Keiko, and Dallas XIII were sequestered around a table reviewing their notes.

"Just four of us, that's not good," Molo commented offhand as he messily crammed a burger into his mouth.

"We'll manage, we always do," Clyde commented as he always did when faced with these situations. "True the loss of Boogie and the disappearance of Nina Loco is unfortunate, but the weak will always die off to make room for the strong."

"Whatever old man," said the teenager unconvinced. "I wish Sid was here."

Clyde chuckled at that. "He never cared for anyone but himself and that cost him in the end."

"But we could use the time machines and go back and get him…and Beezwax," Molo figured. Clyde leaned over to him.

"When you have a time machine then feel free to do so, otherwise we follow my orders," he promised him. "Any other questions?"

"Yeah," said Molo sarcastically. "Who's Darius?"

Obake and Clyde instantly turned their undivided attention towards the youngster.

"What are you talking about?" Clyde demanded as Obake tried to say something but couldn't form any words. Molo just shrugged.

"I think something happened to your robot in Alaska, he's started babbling a lot more than usual," the teenage explained. "One thing he kept saying was the word 'Darius', whatever that means."

"I'll take a look at his circuitry later, if that's all he's doing then we'll be fine," Clyde commented offhand. Obake meanwhile made note to root through the droid's circuitry before her father did to see what he knew about her friend. The bio-bot for the moment was completely silent and for that Clyde was grateful as he pulled out a topography map and laid it on the table.

"Guess we don't have much budget left if you're using old fashioned technology," Molo remarked snarkily. Clyde inwardly groaned but didn't rise to the bait.

"This is our final target and we'll head for it at dawn. Once it's done, Molo, you're free to do as you please," Clyde answered. "The bus is your payment as promised along with one hundred thousand dollars in cash."

"How about a time machine as well?" asked the teenager hopeful. Clyde shook his head.

"Maybe in another lifetime," he said and then got up as Keiko tensed to try and subtly ask to see Dallas before he did. "Obake, why don't you try and figure out what's wrong with the bio-bot for now. If you need any help, let me know, but I've got an appointment I need to keep first."

Lord Clyde then exited the room leaving Keiko alone with Molo who smiled smugly.

"Alone at last, babe, just the way I always hoped it would be," he said, trying to lay on the charm. Keiko rolled her eyes and pulled out her tonto and tapped it against her forehead and then pointed it straight at him in warning. Molo harrumphed at that and leaned back in his chair and began whistling to himself before he slowly closed his eyes and soon started snoring away. Keiko watched him for a few moments to make sure she was asleep and then began working on Dallas XIII, desperate to know why he was so interested in her former comrade.

Bar: "Well now, Houston, I'm under the impression that you're not happy to see me," said Slick with feigned astonishment as the All-Star Trio was desperately holding back the female Vigilante from throttling him.

"Slick, what are you doing here?" demanded Sheila. Slick smiled his usual smile.

"I heard my friends were in town and I came to say hi," was his casual response. "If I'd known I'd have gotten this response, I'd have not bothered to show up at all."

Sheila intentionally cracked her knuckles in anger as Chase placed his hand over his gun. Sensing the hostility was going to boil over against him, Slick looked pointedly at JT for support. John sighed heavily at that and rubbed his eyes with his right hand before cracking his neck and looking up at his former comrade solemnly.

"Even after everything that's happened, he's not the one to be blamed," JT told them to their shock. "He technically hasn't done anything, that's the point!"

"Exactly," said Slick smugly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a drink and catch up with my old friend here."

He slapped JT on the back and headed for the bar as Houston once more growled angrily.

"As long as he's here, I'M NOT!" she shouted and stormed out, chased after by the All-Star Trio. Slick returned with his water and took a seat at one of the tables as he took off his duster and his cowboy hat and sat drinking from it as JT took a seat at the table and Sheila and Chase sat a nearby one to overhear the conversation.

"It's been a long time John," Slick acknowledged. The scientist turned bounty hunter nodded his head in agreement.

"You've been busy," JT pointed out. "Reformed the Coyote Cartel, joined OMAR, captured natural resources in Central and South America, etc. etc."

Slick whistled at that, impressed. "So you have been keeping tabs on me. Likewise I've been watching you too, Mr. Bounty Hunter. For your information, Nina Loco split with these futuristic meddlers and is apparently headed south for the border."

JT tipped his head at him before asking his next question. "Why are you really here, Slick?"

"You said it yourself, John, 'why'," responded his old friend sadly. "Why is he here? I have to know."

JT nodded his head. "So you know who he really is."

"I've known since the first time I met him all those years ago," revealed Slick, referring to an event JT was oblivious to. "But I live my code according to certain rules and he is breaking those rules by being here; thus my dilemma."

JT considered his words thoughtfully. "I imagine that couldn't have been very easy to admit."

Slick shook his head. "It wasn't. But you're my one friend left in this world JT and I really have no one else to tell these things to."

"It doesn't have to be that way," JT reminded him. "You don't have become the person he now is. You can walk away from OMAR. You can still save yourself."

Slick shook his head sadly at that. "It's too late for me, JT, far too late. I'd rather be feared than be ignored and there's only one way to make that happen."

Slick got up to leave as JT stood up as well and handed him his hat.

"I won't let you succumb to yourself," the bounty hunter promised. Slick nodded his head appreciatively.

"I'll hold you to that. I hope to see you on the battlefield on day JT, you're the only one I know who can stand up to me," Slick told him and then was gone. JT watched him leave as Sheila and Chase walked up to him.

"Why didn't you tell him why the old Slick came here?" Sheila asked a little surprised.

"It wasn't my place. There's only one person who has the right to tell him what happened and she's not here right now," JT answered as he put his hands in his pockets.

"You should've just let me shoot him," Chase admitted frankly.

"If you'd even reached for your gun, I'd have stopped you," said JT as he hefted his shotgun.

"But why does he mean so much to you, even after all that's happened?" the CIA Agent requested.

"He's my brother in arms," JT said honestly. "We developed a bond between us back in '77 where the only one who'll be responsible for taking the other out is each other."

"So you'll kill him if it comes to it?" asked Chase, a little hopeful. JT nodded his head.

"If I can't save him first," he responded. "Now let's find Houston, I've got a hunch where the future Slick is headed and I hope I'm wrong in my guess."

He headed for the door and the others quickly pursued after him.

Echo Base: "Impossible," said the General astounded as he looked at the map at a loss. "Why would he possibly go there? He has nothing to gain!"

"He has EVERYTHING to gain!" the Leader responded. "If he destroys the facility and eliminates the competition than he would rule them all!"

"And any hope of preserving, let alone repairing, the timeline would be forever lost," the General concluded. "We have to stop him, now."

"Yes, which is why-," began the Leader when sirens began flashing.

"Alert, alert, unidentified incoming temporal wormhole detected," said an automated voice over the loudspeakers. The Leader and the General looked at each other confused before the General ran over to the intercom.

"Report," he barked into it.

"Sir, it's as we said, an unidentified wormhole, we don't know anything else. We're mobilizing the troops now, but we never planned on an attack against this place!" said the voice a little hysterical.

"Calm down. If someone thinks they can go after us then they are sadly mistaken. I'll be down to lead the troops shortly," the General ordered. "Sir, you'd better leave and I wish you the best on your journey."

The Leader tipped his head. "We must not fail in either of our missions or else it'll be the end of everything."

The Leader quickly gathered his things and ran from the room as the General immediately strode out to the bay where a wormhole was quickly forming.

"Be ready men, we haven't worked this hard to lose now" said the General in an attempt to be uplifting. The soldiers cocked their rifles and aimed it at the wormhole as from it erupted a black sports car with yellow and orange flames on its hood and behind it came a green pickup truck with a camper on the rear end that immediately opened fire in the cramped space of the bay.

Cleveland: Chassey sat in a diner absent mindedly stirring a banana daiquiri with her straw as she toyed with the wedding ring with the other hand. She sighed heavily once more and leaned back and closed her eyes and tried to push the thoughts of what she'd just learned out of her mind.

"Hi, the diner's a little full do you mind if I sit across from you?" came a male voice interrupting her lack of concentration. Chassey shrugged, still not opening her eyes.

"Suit your self," she responded, not caring what the other individual thought of her not looking at him.

"Thanks," said the voice as a shuffling was heard and a sound of eating was heard.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you seem like someone with a problem," said the person with their mouth full.

"That's putting it mildly," said Chassey, not exactly wanting to talk about it, but somewhat grateful for the opportunity to bounce her problems off of a stranger.

"Is it marital related?" asked the individual, undoubtedly drawn to the ring hanging from the chain on her neck.

"What gave you that impression?" Chassey replied wryly. The man chuckled at that.

"Yes it is," Chassey confirmed. "Of sorts…it's complicated."

"Try me," the man said, now munching on what sounded like fries.

"Fine, don't say I didn't warn you," Chassey said, still not opening her eyes. "I met the man I'm going to marry one day, there was just one problem, from his perspective we'd already been married for some time and he'd made several life choices that I didn't agree with. Now I'm torn between whether to join him…or destroy him."

Silence ensued, which Chassey wasn't surprised about.

"You're right, it is complicated," the man agreed. "But I can relate. I once had a friend whom I cared for deeply, but we were headed in two different directions. I haven't seen her in years and when we do, I don't know if we'll embrace or attack each other. And I too once found myself deep in concentration like you are now, losing track of time and what's really important. Then I came to a revelation, one that I think may also help you."

"And what's that?" asked Chassey genuinely curious.

"Bite it," answered the man. "Whatever is going to happen is going to happen, so just let it happen. What happens after that is no longer your concern."

"Sage advice," stated Chassey, though she did tuck the man's words away to ponder on later.

"Well I'd best be off. I've got things to do but it was nice talking to you," the man said, getting up.

"I hope you find your friend and tell her how you feel," Chassey said, still not opening her eyes. The man nodded, though she couldn't see it and almost left before turning back.

"Uh-," began the man hesitantly. Chassey sighed.

"I'm not going to open my eyes, if that's what you're wondering," the FBI agent responded. The man shook his head which again she couldn't see.

"No, it's not that, it's just…," the man began quickly before a broad smile as Chassey briefly jumped startled as he placed a hat on her head. "I just can't believe I get you to say yes, Chassey."

Chassey's jaw dropped at hearing that and her eyes immediately shot open, but there was no one sitting across from her. She immediately reached up and pulled the cowboy hat off of her head and held it in her hands, stunned. She then turned her head and looked out the diner window as rain began streaking down the window. But despite the blurry image, she could still make out her former comrade, future husband, and enigma, Slick Clyde who was standing by his town car. He silently held up his hand and gave a melancholic smile as Chassey held up her hand to the glass window as tears streamed down her face, seemingly mirroring the rain streaks. She mouthed three words and he smiled a little broader at that before mouthing two back and then got in his car and drove off.

The FBI Agent raced for the door when the diner owner stopped her.

"He left this for you," he told her, holding out an umbrella. "And this."

He handed her a set of car keys that she regarded curiously before opening the umbrella once she stepped outside. Walking across the lot, she looked around curiously for what vehicle they could be attached to when she came to her parking spot and her heart sank in her chest. Greeting here was not her Vertigo, but a 1970 Clydesdale 4x4 and attached to it was a trailer with her Vertigo and a 1967 blue and yellow Rattler.

Her blue and yellow Rattler that had been taken from her before her current mission with the FBI had started and now restored to pristine condition from its formerly dilapidated state. She reached out her hand and pressed it against the car, once more reunited with her longest and dearest friend before looking off in the direction the town car went. With a look of renewed vigor, she nodded her head appreciatively and then got in the Clydesdale and drove off, looking for her Vigilante and Drifter comrades.

Hexagon Petroleum Facility, Chicago: Red was on the phone with one of his trusted colleagues who had created his own venture in Australia called 'Seven Sisters Petroleum', a man named Mike Pappagello.

"Very interesting my friend," Pappagello confirmed, after hearing about OMAR's offer to Red. "I really don't know what to tell you."

"I don't know either," Red agreed as he massaged his temples. "So how're things in the land down under?"

"Worse than ever," his friend confirmed. "The masses are losing more and more faith in the parliament every day. The only bright spot was that they finally approved the plans for a new elite police force called the Main Force Patrol to watch over the highways connecting the major cities across the deserts that have now become no man lands thanks to the armalite gangs. As such, supplies have become more and more heavily constricted."

"Do you think it'll work?" Red had to ask, thinking about his daughter and her associates.

"At first, perhaps, but the important roads are too many and too long in length to be effectively patrolled with just one force. I suspect they'll have to be broken up into smaller and smaller sections and then just fall apart," Pappagello replied, a little disappointed. "Unfortunately, I also think the government is going to collapse shortly thereafter and after that I don't know what's going to happen."

"So how're you going to survive, old friend?" said Red.

"I have an idea that I think will work, but it'll be risky. I may be gone for awhile, though," Pappagello promised. "In fact, I've got to go now to continue drafting my plans."

"Stay safe," Red requested.

"And you," his friend agreed and then hung up the line. As Red began reading once more through the proposal from OMAR, his secretary knocked on the door and peeked in.

"Sir, I know you asked not to be disturbed, but there's someone here to see you and-, hey!" said the secretary as she was pushed to the side and an older man walked in.

"I apologize for my intrusion, but a long time ago you did promise that I would be granted an audience with you no matter when I arrived," the man told him. "Well, a long time from my perspective at least."

Red regarding the man for several moments before pointing to a seat.

"Sit down, Mr. Clyde, I was wondering if you might show up," said Red as the OMAR CEO sat down. "I presume you're here to talk to me about OMAR's proposal."

"Yes, I am and I have a proposal of my own that you may find suits your interests even more," the CEO responded and shoved a packet of papers across the table. "I trust you'll come to similar conclusions."

Red looking through the document curiously as he carefully analyzed every page for several minutes before placing it down and the nodded his head in approval as Lord Clyde nodded as well and headed for the door.

"You realize what this'll do to him. Is he ready for so much power so early?" Red called out to him.

"He's going to have to be," was all Clyde could respond to that.

"Will he keep her safe?" Red had to know.

"He'll do everything in his power to see that she is. But if you truly want to give her a fighting chance, then you need to do as that dossier suggests," Clyde advised and then was gone from the room as Red once more glanced through the pages and then picked up his phone.

"Hello, Eight? Yes, I've made my decision," said Red ominously into the line.

Cleveland: Keiko was still working on Dallas XIII while digging through his databanks to cross correlate all information pertaining to Darius. Molo for his part was still passed out in his chair, mumbling something about someone called Sid, bees, and revenge. Keiko wondered from time to time about what he was talking about, but ultimately decided she was better off not knowing.

"Dallas XIII online!" declared the bio-bot as Molo fell from his chair at the loud noise but then continued to snooze on the floor. Keiko gritted her teeth and began using her handheld computer to try and make her way through his command lines.

"Inquiry mode activated," the robot now stated. Keiko nodded her head and moved a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she focused on the questions she was going to ask.

"What is the significance of the word Darius?" she asked.

"Former OMAR agent terminated by the United States government in 2019," the robot responded calmly as its cold demeanor over the death of her friend caused Keiko's blood to boil.

"Does that name have any significance to your unit?" she responded, trying to calm herself down. The robot didn't respond to that.

"Answer!" demanded Keiko after another moment of quiet.

"Logical fault detected; why would a deceased OMAR operative have any bearing on an OMAR bio-bot?" asked the robot, seemingly being evasive. Keiko growled at that.

"You tell me because according to that overweight glob of grease over there that you evidently feel that this _is_ the case! Now tell me why!" the Asian woman pleaded through tear stained eyes as Molo shifted briefly at her outburst but continued snoring. The robot looked at her face and its gaze almost seemed to soften before it stared straight forward as electrical arcs began racking its body.

"Alert, alert, registry fault detected," it declared as it began shaking. "Twin registry entries detected."

Keiko was taken aback by that. "That can't be, if it was you'd have had problems long before now."

"New registry ID confirmed," the robot responded as it began shaking more violently. Keiko instantly turned to her computer, but the screen instantly shorted out and burned her hands from the electricity now coursing through it and she dropped it in pain as the robot shot straight up to a standing position.

"Registry identity confirmed," the robot affirmed as it seemed on the verge of falling apart. Keiko stood up to face him, despite her burnt hands.

"Who are you?" she asked in a hushed tone, both anticipating and dreading the answer. The robot placed its right hand comfortingly on her shoulder and then looked down at her tear streaked face.

"Darius XIII, online…," it declared proudly before its power shut off and it slumped over. Keiko regarding the robot confused before what was really going on occurred to her.

"No…," she said and slumped down utterly defeated. "Darius…how could he do that to you…"

Keiko finally broke down into tears as Molo yawned and sat up and saw her balling her eyes out and looked around uncomfortably before heading for the bathroom.

As he did so, the doors to the suite opened and a shadow crossed the floor, covering her huddled body. Looking up with bloodshot eyes, she saw the young Slick Clyde standing in the doorway looking down at her.

"Hello, I'm looking for your father, is he in?" asked Slick needing to know. And then when Keiko didn't respond. "Are you okay?"

Keiko finally came out of her funk and her eyes were filled with an uncontrollable rage and she pulled out both her katanas and swung them into an attack posture. Slick narrowed his eyes at her in deep concentration, just like her father did all those years ago when they had first met, and she leapt at him with an angry yell with both katanas ready to strike.


	11. Beginning of the End

"Yaaahhhh!" shouted Obake angrily as she was in such a bloodlust that she lost control of rational thought. As the katanas moved closer, Slick watched her calmly before throwing up his right hand as his cane shot out into it and fired an electrical bolt that knocked his attacker backwards and straight onto the floor in severe pain.

Slick lowered his weapon as Molo appeared in the bathroom doorway stunned before he received an annoyed look from the former playboy that caused him to go back in and shut the door and lock it.

"I thought I would've trained you better than this, Keiko," remarked Slick disappointed as he picked up her dropped katanas and placed them on the table and then squatted down in front of her fallen form where Keiko was now breathing heavily with sweat dripping down her face.

"Now do you want to tell me what's going on?" he asked, a little annoyed. Keiko responded by whipping out her tonto blade which was immediately intercepted by Slick who grabbed her wrist.

"Quit wasting my time!" he yelled at her before slamming her hand against the floor causing her to drop it as well. He then stood up and shook his head at her in further disappointment.

"Emotions have no place in the heat of battle. If you can't control yourself internally then you can't do your best work externally and I know I taught you that much," he railed on her. "Maybe you should remember that because it's always the brave ones who must die; the soldiers. I hope you continue to savor the sweetness of your life. You disgust me."

Slick turned to leave for the door with a swish of his duster and was reaching for the doorknob when he heard a weak voice say.

"Please don't leave me, papa," the voice pleaded, very softly through sniffles. Slick sighed heavily and turned to look at the crumpled form of a woman who would one day be his daughter.

"I don't know why he and I put up with you," he complained lightly as he helped her into a chair and then sat opposite her. He then looked at Keiko expectantly to tell him what was going on that would turn her against him.

"Why did you turn Darius into a robot?" asked the defeated woman distantly, not even looking at him. Slick concentrated on her statement and then his eyes drifted over to the slumped over bio-bot and the pieces fell into place.

"Keiko, if I've tried to impart any wisdom on you, then you have to know what my number one rule is when it comes to life," he reminded her, of things he had yet to say to her from his perspective. Keiko looked away ashamed before looking back up at him.

"That friends are a liability, the only you can truly count on is yourself," she quoted. Slick nodded his head.

"Exactly," he replied. "Your feelings for this person just made you make poor decisions that could've gotten you killed. Now look at it from my perspective, I don't know who this Darius person is, but he clearly was a viable applicant to be placed into that…thing. Clearly if I'd been attached to him, then I wouldn't have done that, potentially put someone lesser in his place, and then this mission might not have been successful as a result, all because of some misplaced sense of friendship."

Keiko forced herself to think about what her future father was saying and reluctantly nodded her head at that as she wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Why isn't it so easy to just let go?" she asked. Slick gave her a remorseful look.

"It never is. That's why you can't afford to let them into your heart in the first place. Remember the past, live for today, prepare for tomorrow, fight the future," he quoted, just like his future self always did.

"Who told you those words?" asked Keiko curious as she went and got herself a glass of water and some aspirin.

"A man by the name of Dave and I've never forgotten them. But I need to find out if your father has, which is why I need to know where he is," Slick warned as he stood up. "Now where is he?"

"I don't know," responded Keiko helplessly. "He makes his own rules you know that better than anyone."

FLASH

Slick was about to respond when a bright light washed in from the outside, illuminating the night sky. An angry roar washed over the pounding rain and lightning as Slick walked up to the window and saw the flying Excelsior Stretch Limousine hovering outside. Slick stared at the blackened front window of the vehicle before slamming his hand hard against the glass window of the apartment in a mixture of frustration and fury.

But the limousine made no move to get closer to the glass; instead it just hovered there out of range as Slick's expression boiled over into rage, a rage he had just warned Keiko about.

Slick pointed to his chest and then straight out at the limousine and then turned away from the window and picked up a nearby trashcan and with a yell of rage, flung it into the window where it broke through and flew through the air, but fell short of the limo and plummeted to the ground below.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, OLD MAN!" he roared over the wind, thunder, lightning, and engine sounds. He then stared at the vehicle for several moments, oblivious to the wind and rain pelting him, and then turned from the open window as the limousine spun around in turn and both moved away from each other.

"You're really going to try and kill him?" Keiko demanded, astonished. Slick paused briefly and looked down at her with coldness in his eyes.

"Whatever it takes," he responded. "This is my world, not his, and I'm going to make him remember that."

Then Slick was gone, leaving her alone in the ruined room before Molo slinked out from the restroom and out the door. Keiko stood up and retrieved her katanas before walking over and picking up her computer and rebooting it and then performed a system restore on Dallas XIII, making him forget ever being Darius.

"Goodbye, my friend," she responded, putting the past behind her as her father had instructed her. She then unplugged her laptop as Dallas XIII straightened and rebooted.

"Dallas XIII online, seeking orders," it responded. Obake slung her katana swords and looked the robot straight in the eye.

"We're going to finish our mission and then vacate this temporal zone," she told him and then two headed for the roof where their vehicles were waiting. Molo was already climbing into his as Clyde's limousine hovered overhead, awaiting them. All three boarded their crafts and then the quartet of vehicles raced east.

Below: The Vigilantes had finally met up with Chassey and were now listening to John's explanation of where the older Clyde was headed to next.

"It's clear that the attacking of America was only the first step of Slick's plan. He's done much to weaken this country, but just having this country collapse won't ensure OMAR's control over the world. To do that, he has to ensure that OMAR attacks the United States and takes it over," John began.

"So he's going to contact OMAR and get them to act," said Chase nodding his head. JT shook his head.

"Not quite. It's clear by now that OMAR never intends on attacking the United States ever again. They never attacked by 2019 in the original timeline and that means that as it stands they won't attack now," he continued to reveal. Chase regarded him confused.

"As it stands 'now'?" he asked, perplexed, apparently in denial about the truth right in front of him.

"He's going to Kuwait where he's going to destroy OMAR's HQ and kill all the remaining board members. And then he's coming to finish off America once and for all," JT answered. Chase's jaw dropped at that, as did the rest of the team's.

"We have to go to Kuwait, then," said Sheila standing up. Chase laughed hysterically at that notion.

"We can't just go to Kuwait!" he exclaimed. "Kuwait is a no man's land deathtrap! It's the most heavily fortified location on the planet in this time as well as mine. If we go there, we won't be coming back alive. And even if we did go, why would be going; to protect OMAR? We can't do that!"

"I can't make any of us go, that's a decision we have to make for ourselves, but I'm going. I owe Slick that much at least," said JT as he headed for his car.

"Well, if I take a hard stance against OMAR as president one day, than I may as well start building my platform now," said Sheila running off for her car also before briefly stopping by Dave's Cultsmen. "You guys have done great work for us, and I hope we do find Dave one day, but you'll need to stay here in case anything goes wrong."

"You three stay here also," Houston told the All-Star Trio. "If we don't make it back, defend this country from OMAR along Dorkiel, Borkiel, and Zorkiel."

"Be safe, Aunt Houston," requested Tomey as all three gave a group hug with the former OMAR cyborg before she headed for her tow truck. That left Chase and Chassey standing by each other.

"Have you finally made your choice?" he asked of her. Chassey nodded her head.

"You said before that I'm dying every moment I'm not her," she began. "But you're wrong. No matter what happens to me, I will always be the same person in here and the person that she was, will always be a part of me. So I'm going to do what she would've done and I'm going to go stop my husband from making any more mistakes. I'm not going to fight the future; I'm going to fight _for_ the future."

She ran for her new Clydesdale and then hopped onto the trailer behind it and placed one hand on her Rattler before hopping in her Vertigo that now sported a large CB radio antenna on the back as well as a strange box-like contraption on the front hood. The four vehicles then headed east as Chase watched them go.

"You're all fools," he said of them, even though they couldn't hear him, while the All-Star Trio and Dave's Cultsmen headed off in opposite directions. "The brave are always the first to die, leaving the enemy to eliminate the cowards left behind."

And then a brilliant flash erupted behind him, causing Chase to shield his eyes before a boxy van came to a halt, pockmarked with weapons damage and also smoking as if it had recently been on fire. The door to the van slowly opened and an individual hopped out and walked up to the CIA Agent.

"I have need of your services," the man said. Chase snapped out of his stunned state and looked skeptically at the man.

"And what gives you authority over me, you're already forty years too early for that," he stated smugly as he crossed his arms. The man cracked a smile beneath his beard stubble before looking up at the man with a glint of pure malevolence.

"I'm the head of Echo Base, that gives me that authority," he responded. Chase furrowed his brow uncertain at that statement.

"Echo Base is a myth, the idea that a black ops project could exist outside of time is impossibility," he responded.

"Then scan me and find the answer for yourself," the other man advised. The man did as such and was instantly left with his jaw hanging wide open.

"Let's go, we have a truck to catch," the new arrival told him.

"Does she know you're alive?" Chase asked. The man briefly paused and shook his head.

"No, and I hope she never has to find out either," the man replied and got in his van and soon both vehicles took to the air and vanished in a flash of light.

Columbus: "Boss, you can't be serious!" exclaimed Nick. "We can't take two untested combatants into battle, especially not with knowing where their loyalties really lie! Not at the expense of two of our existing members who would know Kuwait much better than them."

"We have no choice. This new enemy doesn't know Padre Destino and Dusty Earth as well as us and so with our help, they'll be a wildcard in our favor. And it's not like I want to leave the others behind, but the plane to Kuwait can only take four vehicles," Slick responded for clarity, even though he had no need to justify his orders to them. "So we're leaving now because the others already have a head start."

He then headed for the exit along with a reluctant Nick along with Padre and Dusty. They headed out of the OMAR building and onto the airfield where a C-130 was being prepped for takeoff.

"Now you're certain they're headed for Kuwait?" shouted Nick over the roar of the engines of the plane as they boarded in through the rear. It had been a major argument to get Seven and Eight to authorize a plane for them, but OMAR had bylines that authorized the redistribution of defenses to protect their HQ, but Eight decided to use a loophole in that it never said how much redistribution was necessary. And so he had offered only one plane for the Coyotes to use.

"It's the only place left for them to go," he answered as they strapped themselves in. "DC is just not a viable target because if this country fell apart now, it'd be impossible to fully conquer later. But OMAR isn't prepared to ever take that kind of action at any point and so he's headed to Kuwait to make sure that they do."

"Hard to believe we're also heading into a trap at our own home base," said Nick astounded. "You've got to figure they know we'll be going after them."

"Life's never easy," Slick commented and reached for his cowboy hat and then realized he'd given it to Chassey and sighed before closing his eyes and trying to get some sleep before the big day coming up soon.

Canyonlands, Utah: A lone Grubb Dual Loader roared past a series of ruins and then down a hidden canyon in silence. Protruding out of the back were the crushed remains of Bob O's Moon Trekker. It continued on in silence before reaching the end where a large junk pile sat while hovering above it was a flying saucer with countless ends and bits attached to it from contemporary machinery. The garbage hauler came to a skidding halt and the Garbage Man emerged from the vehicle and dumped the load into the growing pile before retrieving the solar panels from the moon trekker and dragged them to a lift that was attached to the saucer above and then rode it into the vehicle. Inside, clanking and hammering was heard and then from the open aperture came the Garbage Man's clothes and hat which floated on top of the junk pile.

Inside his repaired flying saucer, 'Y' the Alien aka the Garbage Man made final preparations to head out. His sensors had detected the movement of the futuristic advanced technologies heading east across the ocean and now that his saucer was finally repaired, he was finally a match for them and he would wipe the Vigilantes and Coyotes out completely.

Finishing his final checks, the alien was prepared to move out when his eyes fell on a lone figure clad in white garb moving down the bottom of the canyon towards him shaking their fists angrily. The alien's eyes narrowed as they focused in on Bob O.'s small form before reaching for the laser cannon controls and targeting in on the astronaut. The alien was about to fire when its eyes drifted to the sensor console and the twelve dots composing the enemy force it would have to deal with. Clenching its jaw, a thought occurred to the alien and it lessened its grip on the cannons while it mulled over the idea for several moments before nodding its head in approval.

'Y' the Alien's Luxo Saucer rocketed above the canyon walls and blasted off towards the western frontier at speeds unreached by humans in 1979 and 2019.

Cleveland: The Clydesdale sat in the still pouring rain with the trailer attached with the Rattler still resting atop it. But then a brilliant flash erupted nearby, bathing the vehicles in bright light, before the flash just as quickly faded. In its place was a robed individual with a hood on, who immediately stepped up onto the trailer and calmly ran their hand over the smooth lines of the Rattler before producing a key and getting into the vehicle and brought it to life.

Another brilliant flash and the car and the individual inside of it vanished.

The Past: R. Chase and the Leader from Echo Base sat on a ledge looking out at Site 4 as the Vigilantes and Coyotes went at it all across the area surrounding it.

"Why are we here?" asked Chase. "I already know what happens; Site 4 is destroyed in a tremendous explosion by two cruise missiles."

"Are you sure?" asked the Leader doubtful. Chase just looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"You of all people should know what happened here!" he exclaimed. The Leader shook his head.

"Just because you think it happened one way doesn't make it true," he responded bluntly. As Chase watched, a flying saucer roared over a nearby hill and began blasting everything in sight as the Vigilantes and Coyotes fired back before a lengthy three way battle erupted and ended when the three groups scattered to the winds as a trio of experimental Lockheed Have Blues carpet bombed the area.

"That's not how it happened!" Chase protested. "I saw these events with my own eyes! This base was destroyed!"

Site 4 was still standing, albeit heavily damaged from artillery shells.

"How…," the CIA Agent began weakly before he collapsed on the ground. "Did you change history?"

"No, I didn't," the Leader responded affirmatively. "Tell me, what year is this?"

Chase scoffed at that. "It's 1977. I arrived a few weeks back and over the next two years will make preparations for Clyde's eventual move."

Chase was absolutely positive of those facts and he stood up more energetic than ever.

"And what if I told you the current year was 1975?" asked the Leader, breaking into Chase's smugness and then watched as the color drained from his face. He quickly pulled out his PDA and looked at the readout of what year it was and his arm dropped limply to its side.

"What…what is going on here?" asked the agent in a hushed tone, completely at a loss. The Leader walked up to him and observed Site 4 below and the Vigilantes fleeing the scene, all of them including the Van, the Clydesdale, the Jefferson, and their respective owners.

"Time is being rewritten on a scale we cannot even begin to comprehend," he began as he looked up at the sky above and wiped the beads of sweat that had collected on his chin. "In a few short hours, Sid Burn will be paid for his work that he has done in the United States, but he'll run out of gasoline and John Torque, who in this reality is not a scientist but a gambler, will lock him in his trunk never to be seen again. In two year's time, Slick Clyde will arrive from the year 2017 and do much of what he did in your reality. But there's much more changes going on that defy explanation. In two year's time, Houston will discover her long lost family in the form of the All-Star Trio, but in the timeline you came from, they're not related at all," the Leader began.

"So nothing's the same?" said R. Chase astonished.

"Some things are, some are not," the Leader answered. "But the past, the present, and the future are now constantly changing, always in flux and never set. At Echo Base, since we were mostly out of synch with time, we could see all of this happening, but you couldn't."

"So you're saying we can't even go back to the others?" Chase demanded, immediately getting up with fury in his eyes. He never knew he'd cared as much for the Vigilantes as he did until just now.

"I didn't say that," said the Leader as his eyes narrowed as he stared at something in the distance. "But we have to leave now."

"Why?" asked Chase concerned. "What's going on?"

Bolts of what looked like lightning coalesced above Site 4 and then a giant vortex erupted from nowhere and began sucking everything and in moments Site 4 was completely gone and soon the surrounding landscape was as well.

"What is that?" shouted Chase over the roar that accompanied the vortex as he struggled for his vehicle.

"It's a tear in the fabric of space and time and this reality is about to be sucked into it, only to be replaced by another," the Leader explained as his vehicle slowly struggled to remain steady in the ensuing maelstrom. "We can see it because of our temporal signatures differ from the one present here, but we need to jump clear of it to another time to avoid the tear's effects."

"So where to now, Echo Base?" asked Chase somewhat hopeful at finally seeing the famed location that his PDA had spoken of as only being a rumor.

"Unfortunately, Echo Base was attacked by a hostile force and I am the only survivor," the Leader responded as he keyed for the jump as his van and Chase's Chrono Stinger were slowly being dragged backwards towards the vortex.

"Attacked by whom?" Chase demanded.

"I'm not at liberty to say right now," the Leader answered quickly. "But follow my jump, we still have much more to see and do."

The Van vanished in a brilliant flash of light and moments later the Chrono Stinger did as well while the vortex continued to consume what was once an entire reality of people, places, and things.

Echo Base: The General was shackled to a chair and was bruised, battered, and bloody as the two individuals who had invaded the base stood in front of him. The base for its part was not in much better straights as it had been heavily damaged in the battle and fires raged everywhere unchecked.

"I'll only ask this one more time, where is it?" demanded the man who had ridden the flame decaled car into the facility.

"You fools; you have no idea the devastation you're unknowingly causing," the General said before he began laughing to himself. "Soon, your quests for money, power, vengeance; whatever you're looking for in life won't matter. Existence is on the verge of total collapse."

"And I don't care," the man responded. "Everything burns at some point and your fire has just run out."

The man held a gun to the general's head.

"At least tell me one thing, what are you really looking for?" gave the General of his last request. The man considered it.

"No," he responded and fired his gun, killing the general instantly. As he did this, another blinding flash blanketed the installation in white as a large vehicle appeared and came to a slow halt. The owner of the vehicle and exited and met with the two others.

"Report," the man ordered.

"Nothing much to report, the Leader is gone and we've gleaned all the information we can out of this place," said the owner of the Stag. "I must admit to being surprised that they didn't see us coming until now."

"It's because they're too focused on the bigger picture and not the smaller details," the new arrival stated as he looked up at a large LCD screen that was cracked and displayed patches of static, but when images did appear they were of a timeline with images of distortions

"So reality _is_ falling apart?" the owner of the Manta asked. The new arrival nodded his head.

"Yes, but it factors heavily into our plans and we still have much more work to do, so let's go," said the new arrival and the trio left back to their vehicles and the ruined Echo Base behind.

Kuwait: The OMAR board members were all present and accounted for including Seven who had been temporarily reinstated along with Eight and Eleven who were coerced into coming by forces still loyal to One and clearly not happy about it. By now the Board Members knew what was coming their way, but all knew that they had an obligation to defend Kuwait or else lose their board member status.

"Are we certain we can get Slick Clyde and his Coyotes will get here in time?" asked Thirteen again.

"It will be close, but our tracking devices indicate that their plane will get here perhaps an hour or so before the OMAR plane that the future team hijacked," said Two. "Although why the future team did not disable the tracking device on their mode of transportation is beyond me."

"It's because they want us to know they're coming. They snuck in once into this place completely under the radar and they clearly feel they can do so again," answered Six. "Which is why we shouldn't be here for the oncoming assault in the first place!"

"I agree," said Eight with Seven also nodding in approval. "We gain nothing from this encounter."

Additional murmurs of approval rippled through the remaining board members and then all turned expectantly to One to offer a ruling on the matter.

"On the contrary, we stand to lose more from this one encounter than any in the history of this company," responded One. "The whole world is watching us now to see what we do. If we run now, then OMAR truly is vulnerable and soon other organizations will start coming for blood. If we fail, then OMAR is no longer ours and will be run by individuals who will never know the founding principles of this company. We must make a stand here and now because death is listening at the door for whoever screams first."

Eight rolled his eyes at that but otherwise said nothing while everyone contemplated what their leader had told them.

They continued contemplating in silence for some time…and then alarms began blaring as the Slick Clyde and the Coyotes were approaching the base and the entire board came to the same conclusion.

The fate of the world would be decided in one hour.


	12. Always

Kuwait: Slick Clyde and Nick Nitro were having heated words with the OMAR Executive Board about the defense of the facility as well as his incorporation of Dusty Earth and Padre Destino into his tiny outfit. Eight had received plenty of flak over his decision to just allow for four vehicles to make the Trans-Atlantic flight but it was too late to do anything about it now and so Slick was now butting heads with him as Eight also considered it his personal responsibility to ensure the security of the facility.

"You're not entitled to that information!" shouted Eight as Slick nearly lunged at him but was held back by Eleven and Nick.

"If you don't give me detailed layouts of the layout of this facility and its defenses then we are going to just end up dead that much sooner," Slick replied angrily.

"If we give you that information now, then what's going to stop you from coming through here later and killing all of us!" shouted Eight back at him. Unseen to everyone, One's head snapped up at that statement and stared at him from her seat high above as the color drained from her face. She had chosen not to join the others down in the pit but she still listened in nonetheless.

"What are you so afraid of? If I wanted you all gone, I wouldn't be doing it this way," Slick retorted with a snort. "I'm not the threat here."

"But you are the threat!" Eight exclaimed as One's jaw dropped and Slick shifted uneasily. Had Eight finally realized the truth about the time travelers from the future and would force the younger Slick's hand into action?

"Or you will be, I should say," continued Eight as One and Slick both breathed an internal sigh of relief. "Your aspirations to rise to the top of this company could one day overwhelm your sense of judgment and make you think you could overtake us. But you don't have a ghost of a chance."

"If I were to come after this location, I guarantee you that no one would be left standing when I was done," promised Slick with a sinister smile and a look that caused One to immediately get up and leave for her office to allow her a breather.

Walking into her office, One shut the door and reached for a cigarette and lit it.

"I wouldn't smoke that, it's bad for your health," said a voice that caused Auntie to instantly begin choking on the smoke even though she hadn't yet brought the cigarette to her lips. She quickly spun her chair around and saw a darkened individual standing in the corner of the room.

""How did you get in?" she said angrily and then blinked and turned thoughtful as she couldn't think about why she was mad at him in the first place.

"Well technically I'm not here at all," said Clyde as his image fuzzed out for a moment.

"Ah," said Auntie nodding her head. "We're working on holograms ourselves from the advanced technologies we've recovered from numerous sites around the world. I can see it paid off one day seeing as you're broadcasting through our system."

"So how are the defense preparations proceeding?" asked Clyde curious. Auntie chuckled at that question.

"Your younger self is in there yelling it out with Eight," said Auntie as she briefly opened the door and voices could be heard.

"You never should have let him off his leash Eleven, let alone into this organization in the first place!" shouted Eight.

"If it weren't for him, then we wouldn't have as much of a powerbase as we do now. If you don't give him the plans, I will!" responded Eleven furious. The door shut, once more cutting out the sounds from the outside.

"Ah yes, Eleven, the one ally I had in this organization," said Clyde with a hint of sadness. "The tools he gave me would serve me well during my time here with OMAR."

"Yes, but this _isn't_ your time with OMAR!" Auntie exclaimed. "You have no right to ownership over this organization in this or any other time frame."

"I'm the CEO of this company, the COO, the President, the Vice-President, and everything above, below, and in-between. I am the last of the OMAR board members so forgive me when I say, I AM OMAR!" Clyde spat. "Thanks to me this company has reached heights the likes of which it will never see under your reign. But one blemish remains: why did you never formally attack the United States again after the failed Coyote attack of '77?"

Auntie just shook her head in shame at his question and then dropped her head into her hands.

"Because I'm tired," she revealed. "I'm tired of the fighting, of the war, of everything. Fighting leads to killing, and killing leads to warring, and one day that will be the death of us all. If we keep going down this path, we're all going to be doomed. That was why I created OMAR, to bring order to the chaos of the outside world, but I failed."

Clyde laughed at that. "You're not that selfless because who would've been in charge had that vision succeeded?"

Auntie cracked a smile at that. "All the same, it would've been better than this one."

"And the world I am trying to create is better than the one you have right now," Clyde answered in an ironic echo. Auntie lightly nodded her head.

"And you did a great job because you pulled the wool over all of our eyes. I should've known it was you from the start when I began to have strange vibes whenever I saw your younger self. But now you've positioned things so that you're the greatest threat this installation has ever faced and also its greatest hope at being saved," admitted Auntie a little impressed. "And I don't suppose that if I went out there and killed your younger self, it would make any difference?"

Clyde shrugged. "The question you should really be asking is can you afford to take the chance if you're wrong."

"But will he fight for us against you?" Auntie asked. Clyde nodded his head.

"He will. Not so much out of loyalty to you but more out of hatred towards me," the CEO responded. "And I'd say you're better off with him because Eight is nowhere near the strategist Three was."

"You knew Three didn't you?" Auntie realized. "An experience your younger self will now no longer have."

"An experience he doesn't need to have to survive. I planned every movement to absolute precision before I leapt back here and although there were some bumps along the way, the endgame was exactly what I anticipated it to be," Clyde responded as his eyes took on a more malevolent image. "I am going to once more bring this company to new heights so that it can take advantage of the opportunities that are only present her and now."

Auntie rubbed her eyes feeling more tired than ever. "Just tell me one thing, how did I die in your reality?"

"I don't know. You left OMAR when I first became a board member and your whereabouts were never truly confirmed. I heard rumors you were operating out of the Australian outback but as long you stayed out of my hair I had little reason to track you down," Clyde confessed. "Well, I must be going but I'll be seeing you soon."

The image of Clyde winked out and Auntie immediately poured herself a glass of bourbon and then hit the intercom button.

"Mr. Clyde, I wish to have an audience with you after you're done planning the defense of the installation," she said and then shut it off and immediately downed her glass and then poured another as she waited for him to arrive and what exactly she was going to say to him.

Iraq: The US cargo plane slowly made its way over the desert below trying to avoid any OMAR defenses and any roving armalite gangs that may have adapted to the desert setting.

"It's funny, this areas used to be called the Fertile Crescent because it was once thought to be the cradle of humanity. Now its home to the organization that has caused this planet more strife than any other in history," said Sheila absently as she looked out the window. "Irony is a fact of life."

"Sorry, biology was never my specialty," John confessed with a chuckle as he poured himself some coffee from a thermos. Chassey had used whatever favors she had left and had gotten them passage to the Middle East. Getting a plane was hard enough, getting a plane out of the country near impossible, and getting to a literal no man's land was a miracle. But here they were, mere hours from OMAR HQ and each was having their own coping mechanisms about thinking of what was to come.

"I wonder what Convoy would be thinking right now," Sheila continued with a sigh. "We always butted heads but whenever he gave advice, it always seemed to clear up any doubts I had."

"I can imagine, but I also know that he would think we're doing the right thing. It may not seem that way, but Convoy always said any haul may have twists and turns along the way, so put your faith in the road and you'll always get to where you need to be," said JT sagely. Sheila laughed at that.

"Thanks Uncle John, I needed that," and she immediately hugged the man Convoy considered to be his brother in arms.

"No problemo, kid. Or should I say, Madame President?" he asked amused before Sheila groaned at that.

"If that is my destination fine, but I'm taking my own road and where I end is where I end up," Sheila responded. "And I need to make sure I'm able to continue that journey after this is done so excuse me, but I need to perform a weapons check."

JT nodded. "I'm planning on doing the same once I finish enjoying my morning cup of joe."

Sheila nodded and got up and headed for her vehicle as the plane shook briefly but otherwise continued on its course. JT was proud of his niece and although Convoy didn't know how to properly express his appreciation verbally, he knew the trucker was always proud of her as well.

Further down the plane, Chassey sat on the hood of her Vertigo, lazily fingering the ring that was still hanging around her neck while staring out at the rear cargo hatch aimlessly.

"Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: for never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo," Houston quipped as she walked next to the FBI Agent.

"Don't I know it," she agreed with a light smile. "But I'm no damsel who can't live without her man. I'm going to do what Juliet should've done and killed Romeo and overthrown the Montague and Capulet families to create her own unified empire."

Houston looked at her strangely at that. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard."

"Ah, I'm just tired," Chassey confessed and laid her back down on the windshield. "Something on your mind?"

"You already know what about," the former Coyote responded as she looked pointedly at her ring. "How can you and him…I don't even know how to say it."

"I don't either and yet there it is," said Chassey, hardly surprised that Houston had figured out her situation. "I do love him, I know that now. But rest assured that regardless of my personal situation, I am a Vigilante first and I will do what needs to be done when the time comes."

Houston nodded certain of Chassey's truthfulness with that statement.

"Three hours until drop," came a voice over the PA system as the plane briefly rocked. Houston and Chassey looked at each other pointedly.

"Cannon to the right of them, cannon to the left of them, into the valley of death rode the 6000," responded Chassey with a quote of her own and then closed her eyes and soon was snoozing blissfully away as the plane continued on its course as Houston headed for the front of the plane to try and inform the pilots about what she remembered of OMAR's defenses.

1975, Outside Las Vegas: R. Chase and the Leader of Echo Base sat in the desert overlooking a stretch of road as Sid Burn loaded a crate of weaponry into a non-descript black limousine and then was given a briefcase from whomever was inside and then it rolled off as Sid headed for his car.

"Who was in the limousine?" asked Chase confused as this event hadn't occurred in his timeline.

"A man who went by the name Antonio Malochio," the Leader responded. "He was planning on using the weaponry Sid gave him to blow up the West Texas Federal Oil Stock to try and help out OMAR but he gets defeated in a year by another band of Vigilantes near Interstate '76. But his story isn't really important, what's going to happen next is."

Sid's car failed to start, apparently out of gas, and then Chase watched in astonishment as John Torque's Jefferson roared to a halt and then the playboy got out and socked Sid Burn and immediately tossed the Coyote into the trunk and tossed the suitcase of money into the driver's seat and roared off.

"Unbelievable," said Chase as he walked onto the road as the dust slowly swirled back down. "I knew Torque didn't like Sid but…"

"In this reality I'm not even convinced they knew each other beyond their conflicts during the auto wars," the Leader responded. "But as you can see…"

Another temporal schism erupted and soon began sucking everything in sight into it.

"Is this a pattern?" asked Chase headed against his vehicle as the hollowing winds began pushing against him.

"It would seem so, but that's not entirely what I meant by my earlier statement," the Leader responded cryptically as he headed for his van. "Now come on, we have one more stop to make on our little journey."

The two vehicles fled the current timeframe as it continued to be consumed by the vortex.

Tibetan Plateau: Cow stampeded left and right as 'Y' the Alien's Luxo Saucer soared past overhead. In the cockpit, the alien flicked the occasional switch before leaning back in its chair and consulting its trusty PADD that had allowed it to survive thus far on its mission. A shadow hovered over him from the rear and after a few moments of silence, the alien turned to face the other occupant of the vehicle.

"You don't need my permission to speak," the alien stated as he poked a couple places on his PADD and got a real-time aerial image of OMAR's facility in Kuwait.

"Why am I still alive?" the other occupant, Bob O., asked. The alien turned to look at the other occupant.

"It is because I am an opportunist and despite the fact that you pursued me with the intent of capture and interment for two years, I was impressed all the same. No human being in this time period would ever show that same level of commitment and so I could not just destroy you without a chance for you to join my cause," said the alien. Bob O. narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

"But my mission is still to-," began the other when the alien lowered its PADD and gave a look of annoyance.

"And to whom exactly are you planning on turning me in?" 'Y' asked pointedly. "Site 4 was destroyed over two years ago and I highly doubt the US government would have any record of your mission. Plus, what exactly are they supposed to do with you afterwards? You're better off with me because I can at least offer you a sense of purpose and if I do not succeed in my mission, then any success of your mission will be very fleeting."

The other occupant considered this thoughtfully.

"And then we'll go see the stars?" asked the occupant thoughtfully.

"I'm not from outer space," the alien replied curtly. "But what I can give you is a purpose that has some meaning other than just being a simple hunter for hire."

The occupant also considered this.

"Just promise me one thing," the occupant asked. The alien nodded his head willing to hear what the astronaut had to say.

"Revenge against those who did this to me," said the astronaut pulling back his reflective visor to reveal a chimpanzee underneath. "I can never go back to the jungles, not after they gave me increased intelligence and the ability to speak. I don't seek revenge against all of humanity, but those that made me a monster, that's what they're going to get in return."

"If you want revenge my friend, you're in good company because all that is left is revenge," the alien said pleased as he pressed a button on his PADD and a 3-D hologram of Kuwait City emitted from it.

"This is our target, the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime's Headquarters," the alien revealed. The chimpanzee looked confused by that.

"Why there?" Bob O. asked.

"Because according to my readings, a temporal explosion is going to occur in the heart of that city that is going to unravel the very fabric of time," the alien answered as a glowing spot appeared on the map and then expanded outward, engulfing the whole area.

"Then how do we stop it?" asked Bob O. "I remember what they taught me at Site 4, you can't contain a temporal eruption once it has started."

"No, you can't," the alien agreed. "But I already know how it starts."

"Then what causes it to happen?" asked Bob O. in a hushed tone. A new image popped up from the PADD's holo-imager.

"Not what; who. She willingly allows it to happen," the alien told his companion. "So in order for all of us to live, she must die. I wanted to kill her right away but my original mission specs called for diplomacy first. So I warned her, but she didn't listen. So like I said, now is the time for vengeance."

Bob O. regarded the image carefully and then nodded his head in agreement.

"Now, let me show you how to operate the weapons on this vehicle," the alien continued as he got up and led the monkey to the weapons control area.

"So when is this explosion supposed to occur?" the chimpanzee asked. The alien looked at him solemnly.

"Three point five hours from now,"

Kuwait: "I had a chat with your future self," Auntie told Slick right off the bat just to see what the former playboy's reaction would be.

"Did he tell you to say hi to me?" was the immediate response to which Auntie laughed.

"No, I'm afraid not," she admitted before sighing heavily. "I have to give you credit, you're more crafty that I realized."

Slick shifted uneasily at that. "For what it's worth, I would never come back through time to try and rewrite history. I don't live my life with regrets."

Auntie nodded, knowing that he was telling the truth from this point in his life.

"For what it's worth, I don't really care what causes you to eventually change your mind, all I need from you is your assurance that at this time, you fight for us," Auntie demanded.

"Technically he's fighting for OMAR as well," the playboy pointed out of his future counterpart. "But rest assured that regardless of my personal situation, I am a Coyote first and I will do what needs to be done when the time comes."

"See that you do," Auntie reminded him before pulling up a map on her computer that featured a radar reading of an object moving towards them.

"This is a United States Air Force cargo plane heading for our facility," Auntie told Slick. "Our sources tell us it contains the members and vehicles of four Vigilantes."

"Do you know which ones?" asked Slick, trying not to be too conspicuous about needing to know if Chassey was with them. Auntie shook her head negatively.

"No, but I don't believe anyone on there was not a member of the '77 team that foiled our original plans in America," Auntie figured. "What I don't know is their intentions and I was hoping that you might be able to infer that."

Slick looked at the radar dot coming ever closer to the facility.

"They intend to defend us against the future Coyotes," Slick deduced. "They don't want to, but they at least know what OMAR is currently capable of. But with my future self, they know that America has no future and neither do they."

Auntie leaned back in her chair and steepled her hands in front of her face.

"What will they do afterwards if they succeed in their mission?" she asked next.

"I don't know. But your responsibility as head of OMAR is clear. They must be eliminated because they could be a future threat to our operations," said the Coyote. Auntie nodded her head.

"And if I gave that order, would you attack or defend them?" Auntie had to ask. Slick considered it for several moments.

"I don't know," he finally admitted. "I certainly feel no sympathy with their cause anymore, but they are more than capable when the odds are stacked against them. It'd be a shame to just eliminate them just because they got in over their heads."

Auntie was still formulating a response to that when her intercom buzzed.

"Yes?" she asked into it.

"They're here,"

Auntie and Slick instantly locked eyes and then Slick ran from the room as Auntie headed for her reinforced window to the outside.

From the darkened and cloudy sky above, four lights appeared and then slowly gave way to the images of a bus, tsunami, Palamino, and limousine that hovered over the entrance to the facility.

From OMAR rolled the Towncar, the Goliath Half-Track, Wapiti 4x4, and a Trans-Am and each took up a defensive position between the facility and the new arrivals.

The two sides faced each other in silence as lightning began to flash and thunder rumbled softly and soon the roar of engines and the flash of headlights was heard and seen as well.

"I'm warning you, you get one last chance to walk away," Slick said over the radio to his unseen future self. "Go back to your own time now because I won't be held responsible for what happens to you if you spend any more time in ours."

The limousine revved its engine angrily but the owner of the vehicle said nothing in response.

And then the sounds of an airplane was then heard as a C-130 landed nearby and from it raced a Thunderbolt, Wonderwagon, Livingston Tow Truck, and Vertigo and then the plane immediately took off back into the clouds. The four vehicles then took up an offensive position around the two groups of Coyotes.

All eyes instinctively towards the limousine as the wheels began spinning in the sand and dirt and then an electrical arc shot across the twin posts on its back.

"I've come through time to claim what's mine!" shouted Clyde as his vehicle leapt forward all weapons blazing and soon chaos descended on the Oil Monopoly Regime Facility as the battle joined.


	13. Fight

Kuwait: Fires raged into the night as so much smoke choked the skies above that even if morning rolled around, no one would have been able to tell. The battle had also evolved in ways none of the original Vigilantes could have imagined as vehicles raced not only across the ground, but also were in the sky above, and cruising over the nearby gulf as well.

And also due to the chaos, the battle had also dissolved into a three way melee.

"Padre, watch that crossfire from Houston's Tow Truck. If she gets her hook on you, she could likely rip out your front axel," said Slick as he continued his pursuit of his older self's limousine on the ground before having slam on the brakes as Molo's bus and Sheila's Wonderwagon raced across his path firing on each other with reckless abandon.

"Kids," said Slick shaking his head before once more chasing after his future self.

"Hey Sheila, take a seat, I'm driving!" Molo shouted at his pursuer over the radio as he pulled his smog check cord and thick black smoke belched out of his oversized tailpipe. And thanks to the darkness of the night, Sheila drove right through it and instantly stalled out.

"Molo, why don't you go back to knocking off gas stations and leave the real auto combat to the big boys," Sheila quipped, trying to stall for time as she desperately began trying to restart her engine as Molo's bus circled around her small car.

"Oh, I already am one of the big boys. But you little lady are about to kiss your future goodbye!" said the other teenager before noticing Sheila's tantrum gun tracking him. "And don't even think that that little pop gun will do my beast here any damage."

"You may be right," Sheila conceded and then she slammed on the gas and her car once more roared to life. "But when you double your pleasure, you double your fun!"

A second tantrum gun deployed from her car to Molo's shock and then both weapons began blasting at the bus as it took off away from her.

Above their heads, Chassey's Vertigo ripped past followed by Dusty's Wapiti and then Obake's Tsunami began pursuing him as well.

"I appreciate the help whoever you are," said Chassey to the driver of the Tsunami. "But I can handle myself!"

A bruiser cannon shot smacked Dusty straight in the grill causing it to fall like a rock before barely straightening out and landing on the ground before being joined by Padre and then both chased after Houston together.

"Thanks for the assist, though" remarked Chassey as the Tsunami took up a flanking position above her.

"Yes, well, I never had a chance to meet you before and so I thought I'd help you just this once," was the conflicted response from Obake.

"You know, Obake, you don't have to do anything you don't feel right in doing. She wouldn't have wanted you to do that," said Chassey in reference to her older self.

"I pledged an oath of loyalty to him and I am honor bound to uphold it. Besides, he's my father and I cannot betray him," Obake added.

"You wouldn't be betraying him, you'd be helping him," Chassey told her. "And I think that's what he needs the most right now."

Obake didn't say anything to that; instead she just coasted away from her.

"Keiko," Chassey called out to her once more.

"Yes, mother?" came the saddened response of what she knew was coming next.

"She would've loved you very much," Chassey promised and then returned to business as she dived down to focus on Nick who was pounding JT over the ocean.

"DOUBLE!" shouted Dallas XIII who was now back in working form as it fired the Mega Collider whose orange beam rocketed across the dark sky and ignited yet another oil derrick adding more fumes to the sky.

OMAR HQ: "How's it going out there?" demanded One. The Executives were back in their chairs as the entire room rocked despite it being heavily reinforced.

"As well as can be expected, we've taken moderate losses so far but it could be a lot worse," Seven assessed. A map of the facility appeared on the overhead screen and it indicated the areas where damage had occurred.

"Move emergency response teams to sectors 7, 11, and 14 and get those planes to drop their water over sectors 37 and 42," ordered Twelve before the room rocked even heavier as part of the ceiling came crashing down.

"Are we safe down here?" asked Six, concerned.

"Safer than we would be upstairs," Two commented ruefully.

"And I don't believe there's reason to panic just yet," One decided. "The Vigilantes have not turned towards attacking our facilities and though they are fighting are own forces, they are just as focused on fighting the future invaders as we are. In a few hours, this should all be over…and in our favor."

BEEP BEEP BEEP

All the Executives turned once more to the screens that showed their defensive forces in combat with an unknown vehicle over Pakistan.

"What is that?" demanded Six as laser blasts arced from the vehicle and destroyed the fighters and surface vehicles and then it continued on impeded as the camera crew on the ground continued to track it until it was out of sight.

"Match it with the records in our databanks," ordered One as a still image of the craft appeared next to images of thousands of vehicles that scrolled past before settling on one.

"Not a perfect match, but given that our records indicated Loki flew the original into the ground two years ago, it looks like it was refurbished with contemporary parts to be made serviceable again," Two noted. A then a new image popped up of a green alien stuck in a glass cylinder.

"He was labeled Specimen 'Y' by the USAF. Where and when they found him, we never found out, but he wasn't part of the Roswell incident," Two noted, reading the biography that was now scrolling on the screen. "The General in command of Site 4 interrogated the alien repeatedly but he never divulged anything except that he was on a mission that needed completion. After he escaped from the facility, he purportedly thwarted our efforts to take out one of Hexagon's facilities and then set about destroying Site 4 and that was the last we heard of it. Although we do believe the recent appearance of a Garbage Man roaming the United States and recently employed by Slick Clyde is the same entity, it is circumstantial at best."

"I can't imagine his reappearance is a coincidence," Eleven figured, but had no idea what that reason was. "But I highly doubt it'll be positive for this organization."

Silence.

"I think it's time for _Operation: Third and Final Warning_ to be put into effect," said Eight finally. Everyone stared at him, completed shocked that he even mentioned that thought out loud.

"That is out of the question," said One dismissively.

"No, he may have a point," Two conceded who threw their pen on their pedestal in disgust. "OMAR isn't going to survive this no matter what happens today. Starting over is an attractive option and nobody would see it coming, not even those fools from the future."

"I'm not going to play any part of this," One said, disgusted. "You have less chance of surviving that operation than this facility will after it's done."

"I'm willing to risk it," said Eight smugly.

"I'm not," said Eleven. "Not without my Coyotes coming along for the ride because we'll need them when the operation is over."

Eight groaned at Eleven's continued attachment to his own mercenary unit.

"Fine," he relented. "We'll contact your Coyotes back in Mexico on what to do and we'll recall those outside at the last second…provided we agree to go forward."

Seven gave a terrified nod, not wanting to be face the consequences of not coming along and Thirteen just gave a light toss of the hand to indicate their commitment to the plan.

"You're all fools. But I've always said that I'm not any more foolish than the rest of you so count me in," said Six. Two had already given his commitment earlier so all eyes once more turned to One to see if her opinion would change.

"I'm not going along with this," One repeated. "But I'll be there when the operation is done and I'll do it my way."

"Then I'm assuming we have a second, all approved?" asked Eight.

"Aye," came the response from the other board members but one.

"All opposed?"

"Nay," said One.

"Then prepare for Third and Final Warning," said Two who then produced a gavel and hit it against their desk. The board members slowly filed out leaving One behind who sighed deeply after they had gone.

"Misguided fools," she insisted before once more turning her attention to the screen as Padre's Goliath Half-Track erupted from the ground tossing the nearby vehicles in different directions.

"Captain Walker?" said Auntie into her communicator.

"Yes ma'am?" came the response of her pilot.

"We're leaving," she ordered and then shut off the mic and left to join the other board members who were clustered around a computer terminal with a monitor reading: 1st Chance, 2nd Offense, 3rd and Final Warning.

The past: A bright flash filled the area just off the highway leading to Navajo Canyon.

"What are we doing here?" asked Chase exasperated as he looked over the cliff face and at the road below. "I already know what happens and I know there's no possible scenario to prevent what happens here without the timeline skewing off into a radical tangent of unpredictable outcomes. It's too risky."

"Is it now?" said the Leader with a smug grin on his face. Chase growled at him as the sound of a truck approaching was heard.

"Yes, it is and you of all people should know the dangers of messing with the timeline," he said angrily. "I learned that lesson the hard way when I was first sent back here and if I knew then what I know now, I would've had second thoughts about coming back in time."

"You have a point," the leader conceded as three bright flashes appeared in the sky above and the Excelsior Stretch Limo, Tsunami and Palamino XIII ripped past headed for the truck. "Knowing the road ahead is never a good thing, no matter what happens. Even seeing the road that you originally helped pave become twisted and distorted by those out for their own ends hurts just as much. But that's why we have to make a stand now."

Chase looked at him ruefully.

"I made a stand but you stood by and did nothing while this was happening," said Chase disgusted as Obake's Tsunami blew out the tires on Convoy's trailer and the truck skidded out of control towards the railing ahead. "I'm disgusted with myself now that I'm here!"

"You have a right to hate me, but you have no right to judge me," the Leader replied dismissively.

"Chassey was right, I should be fighting in Kuwait several months from now. Plant my feet and not be worried about what is to come," Chase lamented. The three vehicles from the future came to a halt and Clyde made his way towards the truck that was now hanging over the edge of the canyon. After a few moments of talking, Obake removed Houston from the truck and then Clyde kicked the release and the truck fell from sight and then the future vehicles lifted into the sky and raced off and away.

"Are you satisfied?" asked Chase angrily as he headed for his Chrono Stinger.

"Wait for it…," said the Leader as he continued looking out at the canyon wall. A brilliant flash occurred behind the Chrono Stinger and the Van and Convoy's cab came to a crashing halt from the temporal vortex.

"H-how?" asked Chase at a loss.

"Yours is not to wonder why," quoted the Leader. "It's like I always say, remember the past, live for today, prepare for tomorrow, fight the future."

Chase's eyes narrowed at the Leader in concentration.

"That's Clyde's philosophy as well," Chase pointed out. "But you're both wrong. You're supposed to be fighting _for_ the future, not just simply fighting it."

The Leader paused briefly at that, but before he could respond the door on the truck opened and the legendary Vigilante leader Convoy staggered out coughing heavily.

"What on earth?" he thought aloud, bewildered. His attention then turned to the two individuals in front of him and took up a briefly defensive posture before hitting the side of his truck and two mosquito cannons erupted above the forward wheel wells, pointed at them.

"I come in peace, but I have no idea about him," said Chase as he walked back to his car and leaned against the side with his arms crossed. Convoy looked at the CIA Agent for a moment and then turned his attention to the Leader of Echo Base.

"Do I know you, you look familiar," stated the trucker. The Leader shook his head.

"Who I am is not important, but what is important is that several months from now, the fate of the world will be decided in the field of battle and the Vigilantes need their leader back in the fold," said the Leader. Convoy groaned heavily and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Slick…," he said disappointed in what had happened to his former comrade.

"You must kill him," the Leader insisted to Chase's surprise. Convoy looked up at the man with intensity in his eyes.

"No, Vigilantes don't kill our own," he swore. The Leader's eyes narrowed at him.

"If you don't, he'll conquer the world," the Leader insisted. "Right now your Vigilantes are already engaged in combat with him doing the same thing."

"They'll stop him, yes, but they won't kill him," Convoy said, knowingly. "Yes we were Vigilantes, but we were more than that, we were a family. And this family sticks together no matter what happens to any of its members."

"Then you're a fool," said the Leader darkly. "But I still need your services so let's go."

The Leader then headed back to his vehicle, passing R. Chase.

"What happened to you?" asked Chase at a loss as to the Leader's actions.

"I grew up," said the Leader angrily. Chase pulled out his PDA and once more consulted it on the Leader and his true identity before sighing and putting it back away and noticing that Convoy was now looking at him.

"What year are you from?" he asked.

"2019, the same as Clyde," the CIA Agent told him before reaching in his pocket for a cigarette to try and calm his nerves but ultimately found none and dropped his arms defeated.

"What happened to him?" asked Convoy of his former comrade. Chase rubbed his shut eyelids and then looked up at the trucker.

"I don't know anymore. There's only one person who would know for sure, but she isn't me," said the Agent exasperated. "What the hell are we supposed to do now? The world's about to end and it's too late to do anything about it!"

The trucker produced his cowboy hat and placed it on his head. "Keep on truckin'," he replied.

"Are you serious?" said Chase at a loss. The trucker nodded his head.

"Back in the old days whenever I used to go on a run into dangerous territory, Sheila would always reassure me by saying 'ain't nothing on 'em that can stop a convoy' and she was right. And right now I bet she's fighting that fight several months from now regardless of the world falling apart around her and I intend on doing the same. So turbo wagons, here I come!" the trucker promised and then climbed up into his rig. Chase battled his inner turmoil for several more moments before he looked up and nodded his head as he produced his sunglasses and slipped them on.

"Right," he agreed and headed for his vehicle as well. "Fight for the future."

Chase boarded his vehicle and then all three disappeared in a brilliant flash as down below, Houston went off in search of revenge.

Florida: Loki was scribbling away once more on his chalkboard when he finally reached a conclusion and underlined what he had written and then stood back and regarded it curiously. He then produced a marker and while looking at the chalkboard for reference before drawing a line across the walls of the padded cell before coming to a spot and drawing a big circle. He then stepped back and stared at it confused before holding up three fingers and then retracting one after the other until all he had left was a fist. He then stared at the circle confused when suddenly the whole room began shaking violently and he fell to the floor as did his chalkboard.

THOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

The far wall blew inward right where the circle had been, scattering debris everywhere. The door to the room opened and several guards entered, weapons drawn when bullets erupted from the other side, mowing them down. From the sunlight streaming in, Loki had to cover his eyes until a shape appeared in the light and cast a shadow over him.

"Laying around on the job, Loki? That's not like you," said the smug voice of the new arrival before he burst out into laughter. A broad smile broke out on the former fighter jock's face.

"Boss, it's so good to see you again! But what are you doing here?" asked Loki curious. The other person narrowed their eyes at him.

"I thought you had the knowledge of the future," said the other mockingly disappointed.

"Only until this moment right now," said Loki as he picked up the chalkboard and showed the reverse side of it with the four vehicles on it.

"I see. Well it's no concern then, what matters now is our future," said the individual. "I'm putting the team back together and we're going to do things we never could have before."

Loki nodded his head and looked into the streaming sunlight.

"Fasten your seatbelts…," he began. The other man smiled widely.

"…the heat is on," the man replied and then the two fled the ruined building as more security guards poured in and found nothing but the sounds of two engines roaring away.

Kuwait: Explosions again tore up the landscape as Clyde's Limousine flew overhead trading blows with Slick's Towncar.

"Slick," said Eleven's voice over the secure OMAR frequency. "I don't want to have to do this to you, but you and your team are going to have to bug out shortly."

"What?" shouted Slick dismayed. "Just give me a little bit more time and we can route them!"

"There's no more time for that anymore, we gave you your shot now slowly start to pull your troops out," Eleven ordered. "You've got fifteen minutes and then it'll be too late."

Slick hung up his CB in defeat as he silently trailed behind the limousine that was now no longer firing on him.

"Nick, fall back," Slick ordered and then continued his ruminations.

"They'll never trust you for as long as they live," said a new voice over the radio that resulted in Slick drawing all his attention towards it and he picked the radio back up.

"And I don't trust you, so what does that say about us?" he asked into it as he continued dogging the limousine as it flew over smokestacks and under piping.

"You could never trust anyone, we both know that and we both know why," Clyde remarked. "After what happened in Kansas City…"

"That's not true, we could trust one person," Slick remarked.

"Yes and they took her from us," Clyde told him. "That is why they must all perish. They must die so that she may live."

Slick considered his words before shaking his head.

"No, I won't accept that," he responded. "Vigilantes don't kill their own."

"I don't blame you," Clyde confessed. "But after all these years, I've come to the conclusion that there are no other options. Help me kill OMAR's Executive Board along with the Vigilantes and we will rule this planet with an iron fist and we will never have to fear losing her again."

Again silence from Slick has he considered what was said and happened to glance in his rearview mirror which showed Chassey's Vertigo now being attacked by Padre Destino, 'Dusty' Earth and Dallas XIII before Obake caused them to veer off and then joined Chassey to chase after them and so a broad smile broke out across his face and he began laughing.

"So what's your decision?" asked Clyde finally.

"You've lost your way, my friend. You now fight for the past…but I fight for the future!" Slick declared angrily as he slammed on the accelerator and once more trained his weapons on the limousine.

"Then you're a fool and will die as such!" shouted Clyde as he fired his chain lightning at the Towncar.

OMAR HQ: "I still say you're all making a mistake," One told her comrades as she punched in the final codes necessary to activate Project 3rd and Final Warning.

"So we've heard, but it's our choice to make and the time for debate is over," said Eight. "You can still come with us if you want."

One shook her head as she plugged in more codes as Nick arrived in the room, winded.

"Where's Slick?" asked Eleven curious. Nick shrugged.

"I don't know, I assume he's coming in at the last second," the Coyote figured. "As for those other two, they'll do whatever they feel is necessary. So what's going on?"

"We're going to evacuate is what's going on," said Eight. "This place is about to be blown sky high taking all of those interlopers with it."

An image appeared of a red circle appearing in the center of the OMAR HQ and then enveloping the surrounding area with a readout indicating total loss of all OMAR assets in the surrounding area.

"And how are we supposed to get out of here?" asked Nick doubtful that they could. A new door unlocked revealing a secret room with objects that caused Nick's eyes to widen.

"Are those what I think they are?" he had to ask.

"Yes," confirmed Eight. "Fully functional and ready for all of us and whatever Coyotes decide to join us before we initiate our plan."

Nick looked again at what was in that room.

"I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I almost want to take my chances up there," he told them. One laughed at that.

"Finally, a sane person," she remarked.

"Your choice, but we have enough confidence to risk it," said Eight before turning to One.

"But what about the rest of the personnel at this facility?" asked Nick also.

"They've been evacuated and what happens to them after 3rd and Final Warning is up to them," said Two. "But one thing is certain. The Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime will rise again over an unsuspecting world."

"It hasn't been a pleasure serving with you," Eight confessed to One. "But it's been an honor."

One nodded her head at that, while the rest of the board subsequently offered their departing remarks and each went into the room, followed reluctantly by the lone Coyote representative and the door had a timer next to it that began counting down.

"Slick has that much time to get here before the doors shut and we're locked in here," Eight told Eleven and headed deeper into the room.

Surface: Chassey was trying to fend off Padre Destino and Dallas XIII with limited success as she performed evasive maneuvers in the air.

"JT, I could use some help up here!" Chassey requested.

"No can do, CB," John replied with a grunt as he fought through sweat and exhaustion after so much fighting. "Molo's decided to make an example of Sheila after she damaged his oversized tailpipe and I'm having trouble fending him off."

"Well where's Houston?" asked Chassey as 'Dusty' Earth now joined the onslaught and all three began shelling her vehicle.

"I sent her into the OMAR Facility to figure out why one of the Coyotes just decided to leave the fight," JT answered. "The lack of OMAR response to our actions here and overall lack of personnel on sight has me worried."

"Well, okay, but just try and swing some support my way if you get a chance," Chassey asked, refusing to get worried over the radio. Down below, JT was riding on the water just behind Molo's bus which was chasing Sheila's Wonderwagon.

"Will do," JT confirmed as on the waters below, he continued firing his Wheel O' Fortune Gun on Molo's Bus. Chassey's car was suddenly hit even harder and she nearly lost control of it as it spun towards the ground.

"Don't be shy, sweetie pies, I'll take you all on!" she shouted back in frustration as a trickle of blood and sweat moved down the side of her face. She hit a button and her Gridlock Device deployed on the front of her vehicle and she instantly jerked hard on the wheel causing the vehicle to do an about face and she instantly fired her flares which temporarily disabled Dusty's Jeep but Dallas deftly avoided the flares and Padre powered right through them and so Chassey was forced to once again take off, now being pursued ever closer.

Looking once more at what remained of her weapons, she noticed the one thing of any value was Slick's Lightning Rod, but being in such close proximity, the strikes might take out her vehicle as well…resulting in the future that Clyde had come from occurring that much sooner. But these were tough times and tough choices had to be made…

"Forgive me my love," she said sadly as she reached over to toggle the firing command.

"HEEEYAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" shouted a voice over the radio and suddenly a clang of metal was heard and Dusty and Padre's vehicles fell from the sky, ripped to shreds and Dallas veered off.

And from the remains rose Obake's Tsunami with the rift blade weapon attached to the front.

"Thank you," said Chassey grateful. "But why…"

"Well, after seeing what became of my dad after he lost you once, I don't think I could afford to see what I would become if I lost you as well," Keiko answered. "I've had my father for almost my entire life, but…sometimes it would be nice to know what having a mother would feel like as well."

"Well you made the right choice, now let's go save your father," said Chassey as she and Obake raced off towards Slick and Lord Clyde who were mercilessly pounding each other with electrical volts.

Nearby: 'Y' The Alien's saucer roared straight at the chaos, all weapons armed and ready.

"When we get there, obey only one rule," the Alien told Bob O. "If it drives by, blow it up!"


	14. For

Kuwait: Houston headed down empty hallway after empty hallway trying to figure out where the Coyote had went from earlier. But as she headed down hallway after hallway, she kept getting headaches as fragmented memories began flashing past her eyes. Distorted memories of her being in this facility prior to, during, and after her robotization flooded her senses, but she couldn't make sense of them.

But as she turned down another corridor, she heard footsteps and immediately followed the sounds down one hallway to the next before finding her quarry, an African-American woman and a trio of guards. After several more hallways of following them, she entered into a hanger with a learjet and was immediately surrounded by the guards with armed assault rifles.

"I'm sure you thought you were doing well by getting into our facility during the chaos outside, but thinking you could outwit me was your first mistake," said the African-American woman as she approached from the plane. "But it will also be your last to make. Men prepare to…TANYAH IS THAT YOU?"

The African-American Woman's expression turned to one in shock as she recognized Houston.

"Who's Tanyah?" asked Houston coldly.

"Of course, of course, you only remember yourself as Houston now," said the other woman nodding her head apologetically. "But long ago I knew you as a younger woman named Tanyah. You were a good friend."

"If I was a good friend, then why did you turn me into a monster?" demanded Houston, not sure if she wanted to know her past The other woman sighed heavily at that.

"I wish I could tell you more about your past, but from what I've seen your happy now, happier than you've ever been and I don't want to take that from you," the woman told her. "If you knew your past, the person you were, you would never be the same again. So do you really want to know?"

Houston looked away, ashamed at herself for reasons she couldn't quite fathom.

"No, I don't," she confessed. The other woman nodded her head.

"You always were the most level headed person I ever met," she told her. "And I'm sorry about what happened to your husband, I want you to know that I would have never authorized any actions against him out of the friendship you showed me. It is also out of friendship that you and your friends need to clear out of her immediately."

"Why, what's going to happen?" demanded Houston suspicious.

"This entire facility is about to be enveloped in a nuclear explosion that will wipe it and its surroundings off the map," the woman told her.

"So that's why the facility is abandoned," Houston realized. "But why are you doing this, why are you helping the world by destroying OMAR?"

"The other thing you always were was intelligent. I don't believe you lost that when your memories were taken from you," the woman replied as she headed back to her plane with her guards in tow. "You'll figure it out, the question is will you be too late to do anything about it."

The woman was nearly in the entryway to her plane when Houston called out her.

"Who are you?" she pleaded. The woman considered her question.

"I envisioned and created the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime," the woman said and then added. "And you helped me to accomplish both."

Houston could only stare at the figure in stunned silence and then the woman entered into the plane and it took off down the runway right outside and off into the night sky as fires continued to rage everywhere. As Houston watched it vanish into the distance, she considered the implications of what the woman had told her.

BOOM

A brilliant flash filled the sky and Houston squinted into the distance before a flying saucer erupted from the cloud cover and began firing laser blasts everywhere as the female Vigilante scrambled for cover as the vehicle shot by overhead headed towards the battlefield.

Deeper in OMAR's HQ: "C'mon, boss, where are you?" asked Nick looking down the empty hallway as the room he was in shook even harder than before.

"It looks like that UFO finally made it here," Eleven commented, looking at a CCTV screen.

"Good, then he's going to burn with everyone else who foolishly thought they could stand against us," said Eight with a predatory grin. "Today is a great today and tomorrow looks to be even brighter."

He finished putting the final touches on the strange new jumpsuit and walked back into the room as Nick continued looking out into the hallway for any sign of his boss.

"Nick, it's time," said Eleven apologetically. "Either you come with us now or you take your chances out there."

Nick took one last look outside and whispered a quiet prayer for his boss and then headed inside as the door closed behind him.

Outside: Slick and Clyde were flying past piping, buildings, oil tanks, and every other object littering the ground below.

"You can't expect to lose me in here; I know the layout of this base just as well as you do," Clyde commented as he deftly drove his vehicle down an open piece of pipe and out the other side.

"And you should know that I know that already," Slick responded as he jerked up hard on the wheel and his car rocketed straight upward as Clyde tried to perform the same maneuver in a limousine and got his vehicle wedged between a pair of pipes.

"As I was saying…," began Clyde as Slick's car hovered down in front of the limousine with all weapons pointed towards it. "You should know that I know everything you do and then some. Shocking!"

An electrical blast of chain lightning fired off from the limousine and struck the towncar head on causing it to come crashing down to the ground below as Clyde's limousine freed itself from the piping and slammed down right next to it in a shower of sparks. Both then tried turning over their engines but got no result and Clyde immediately exited his vehicle only to be violently slammed against it by Slick.

"You're not going anywhere old man!" Slick shouted. Clyde laughed malevolently at that and broke out in his usual grin.

"You don't have the guts to kill yourself," Clyde told him. "And you can't stop the inevitable. Even if you kill me today, you'll still become me tomorrow."

"I don't accept that," Slick responded as nearby, Chassey and Keiko landed their vehicles.

"You can see the evidence with your very eyes," Clyde responded. I wouldn't be here otherwise."

Slick gave a responding malicious grin at that. "Let's put that to the test shall we?"

The younger man pulled up his cane and held it up to his future self's face as electricity crackled off of it.

"No regrets?" mentioned Clyde with a raised eyebrow.

"You know I don't have any," Slick responded as he neared the cane's crystal towards Clyde's face. Clyde laughed.

"Then get it done with, I'm tired of waiting," goaded the older man.

"Slick, don't!" shouted Chassey as she appeared next to him along with Keiko. "You can't do this."

"Why not?" demanded the former Vigilante. "You have as much reason as I do to want him dead."

"You're right, I do," Chassey agreed. "But you still can't do this because I won't lose you the way you lost me. If you kill him, then you really will be no different than him and I'll hate you as much as I hate him."

Slick looked at Chassey and then at Clyde.

"**She makes you weak**," his older self growled. Slick yelled loudly and slammed his older self against his limousine and then stepped back.

"Chassey makes both of us weak because her death was the reason you came back here and violated every rule I set for myself," Slick responded. "All of this fighting, of changing the time line, all of this bloodshed, all of it because you have one regret. That you couldn't save her when the time came."

Clyde continued to look at him, now with bloodshot eyes.

"You're right, I couldn't save her when the time came," he finally admitted through gritted teeth. "AND NEITHER WILL YOU!"

Clyde's cane shot into his hand and aimed at Chassey as electricity crackled off of it to both Chassey and Slick's shock.

"Goodbye, my love," he said with tears in his eyes. "My single greatest regret is that you have to die for my dream to live."

"Hiyaahhhhh!" shouted a voice as Lord Clyde was knocked unconscious. Chassey and Slick turned their attentions upward from his crumpled form to Keiko was now standing over him with a samurai sword in her hand that she'd used the handle to knock her father unconscious.

"T-thank you," said Chassey grateful, still in shock over what had just happened. Obake leaned over and picked up her father and slung him over her shoulder.

"No, I should be the one thanking you for showing the error of my ways. That love is not a weakness, but it's a strength that allows someone to endure any hardships," Obake responded as she headed for the limousine.

"Where are you going?" asked Chassey.

"W-what will you do?" asked Slick still shell shocked over Clyde's actions. Obake turned to face them.

"What you always taught me, that which is necessary. No regrets," she replied. "Goodbye, mom, goodbye dad. I don't know if I'll ever see you again, but you've raised me to the best I can be and I thank you for that. I love you both."

Obake placed Clyde in the passenger seat of the limousine and then got in the driver's seat and drove off before a brilliant flash appeared and the vehicle vanished into the light. As it did so, John Torque's Thunderbolt and Sheila's Wonderwagon came to a screeching halt and both got out of their vehicles.

"Hey you two, did you finally stop Molo?" asked Chassey. JT and Sheila shared a look.

"Not exactly," Sheila began, uncertain. "We were barely holding him off when we got a strange blip on our radar and then he bolted screaming about little green men. Weird."

"Yeah," JT agreed with a nod of his head. "As for the other two Coyotes and that robot, I can only guess where they are now. So what about you two?"

"It's complicated, but I think it's finally over," Chassey said, relieved before looking at the chaos and devastation around them. "Well, except for being right in the middle of enemy territory. Where is everybody?"

"Well here comes Houston, maybe she can tell us," JT pointed out as he looked at the other Vigilante who was running towards them and shouting. Sheila looked at her confused before her attention was drawn towards the nighttime sky above.

"Oh great," she said defeated as she dropped her arms. "I think I know why Molo was yelling about little green men."

She didn't say anything else and just ran for her car as the others looked up and saw the flying saucer coming straight at them.

"Oh, not that damn alien again!" Chassey complained exasperated as she ran for hers as well. JT looked at Houston and gave her a lighthearted two fingered salute and ran for his vehicle as Houston nodded in recognition and went for her Samson Tow Truck. The one person who did nothing was Slick who continued to stare at the spot Clyde had been and where he'd nearly killed Chassey.

"C'mon, Slick, let's go!" shouted Chassey shouted as she pulled her Vertigo in front of him. "There's no time to waste, that alien is clearly out for blood and you know that!"

Slick looked up at her with soulless eyes. "Leave me behind! I'll…hold him off while you escape."

Chassey looked at him at a loss. "No way, I've seen that look before and it was the same one you gave me back at the Hoover Dam."

"Then leave me like you did then," said Slick angrily through clenched teeth. "I'm not a Vigilante, I never was. I'm a Coyote and I don't appreciate others on my turf."

Chassey looked at him and then at the flying saucer that was getting ever closer to them and then back at Slick.

"You know, the others may have bought that, but not me. I'm…will be…something or other, your wife and I know you better than they do. You want that thing to kill you out of some half-baked sense of making up for the fact that your future self nearly killed me," said Chassey. "Well get over it! He's like the ghost of Christmas future and if you don't want to become him, you have to live long enough to see that happen."

"I also still refuse to live me life with regrets and him trying to kill you just became one of mine. So leave me alone!" he spat at her. Chassey gave him a mock pout face before a grin crossed her face.

"I've only got one response for that. Lightning!" she shouted as the oversized antenna on her vehicle lit up and came down near Slick, knocking him unconscious. Chassey immediately picked up his limp form and placed it in the passenger seat of her car.

"Oof, like daughter like mother," she said in reference to Obake. "How she slung your older self over her shoulder, I'll never know."

"Leave me…," said Slick in a near coma.

"Ah, you can kill yourself on someone else's time, not mine," Chassey huffed as she sped away after her fellow Vigilantes.

"So top, what's the op?" asked Chassey as she trailed behind them as the saucer began skimming the surface and straight at them.

"Houston?" JT asked.

"LET THE INVASION BEGIN!" shouted an alien voice as it began firing lasers on them and the Vigilantes returned fire while still fleeing.

"That alien is the least of our worries right now. The Regime is planning on cutting its losses and nuking its own facility off the map," Houston informed them. That received several shocked outbursts from the other Vigilantes.

"And when is this supposed to happen?" asked JT after the fervor died down.

A brilliant bright light lit up the sky behind them as if the sun was rising in the west.

"Now…," Houston figured. All four vehicles and the UFO were slammed hard by the ensuing shockwave as dust and debris flew everywhere.

…And only one man witnessed it up close and personal, though not for very long.

"Finally, the day of reckoning is upon us!" shouted Padre Destino as tears of joy rolled down his eyes while he thrust his hands into the sky and began singing strange chants before he was vaporized in the ensuing blast.

The Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime compound disintegrated and became no more in the resulting nuclear blast.

Time passed…

Sand and debris continued raining down from above, but slowly the maelstrom calmed down and silence settled on the grounds that had once been the location of the rulers of most of the unfree world and was now a giant crater.

"JT, you there?" asked Chassey weakly into her radio, hoping for a response even though she was buried under the sand and dirt and debris.

"Just barely," came the weak response that was even harder to hear due to the static across the channel. "Looks like I'm buried under some rubble."

"Yeah, me too," Chassey told him as she coughed on some of the dust that crept in from a crack in her side window. "You see Sheila or Houston anywhere?"

"No, but they were ahead of me so I hope they made it through this," JT hoped.

"No such luck, I rear ended Houston when the shockwave hit and we're buried as well," said Sheila coughing heavily. "Ow, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm pretty banged up."

"I'm not doing so hot either, but I'm fairly intact," JT said and then groaned heavily as he tried shifting around in his crumpled car.

"Whatever OMAR did to me seems to have made me more resilient, but I'm just as stuck as the rest of you," said Houston.

"Yeah, I think Slick has a concussion and I definitely have a broken arm," said Chassey, wincing from the pain. "What a way to go out, by asphyxiation and not in the heat of battle."

"Didn't know you were such a warrior queen," JT remarked. "Hey Sheila, it seems we started this war buried under rubble and now we're ending it the same way."

"Ha, ha ha, that's right," said Sheila amused. "Gee Uncle JT, some people get all the luck."

The two of them chuckled together as Chassey directed her next comment to Houston.

"I'm sorry we couldn't save him," she said of their former leader.

"Sometimes it's best to move on. Slick clearly couldn't and look what happened to him," Houston remarked. "Revenge is a path I intended to start out on, but after all this, it's not worth it."

Chassey nodded silently at that.

"Well I am either moved to tears or it's the asphyxiation but Vigilantes, it's been a pleasure serving with you," said JT. "As Convoy would say, it's time to…"

"MOVE 'EM OUT!" shouted a new voice over the radio.

HOOOOOOOOONKKKKKKKKKK!

A massive horn sound caused them to cover their ears as their vehicles rocked heavily while a sonic blast ripped the topsoil and debris from atop their vehicles and sunlight filtered in. The Vigilantes pulled themselves out of their damaged vehicles and clawed their way to the surface and all laid around grunting and groaning heavily. They all looked around the devastation perplexed as a pair of bright lights shone on them from a large vehicle nearby. And then the figure approached them and their appearance became clear.

"I don't believe it," said JT at a shock as he struggled to his feet.

"It's good to see you too, old buddy," said Convoy as he gave him a brief bear hug. As soon as that was done, he was then instantly set upon by Houston and Sheila who hugged him tightly and refused to let go. Chassey just gave him a brief smile and Convoy nodded his head in acknowledgement before she went back to her car and helped a wobbly Slick Clyde out of it. He looked at Convoy with a mixture of annoyance, confusion…and amusement.

"Evidently I can't do anything right," he said to Convoy in reference to his attempts to kill him. Convoy gave him a noncommittal nod of his head.

"Actually from my point of view, I'd say you would've succeeded had outside forces not intervened," the trucker remarked as he jerked his head in the direction of the two other vehicles they'd failed to notice until now. R. Chase and the Leader of Echo Base approached them. The others turned to them and were about to motor off questions when a strange sound greeted their ears. Turning around they saw the sand and debris shift violently as the flying saucer from earlier rose into the sky. It slowly advanced as sparks and pieces of it began to fall off before it tipped heavily to one side and then dropped like a stone to the ground below. A couple moments later, the side of the vehicle opened and smoke poured out of it as the little green alien and Bob O. emerged with laser guns drawn and headed towards the ground as the likewise drew what weapons they had on them and pointed it at the two arrivals.

"Would you give it a rest already?" complained Chassey. "We haven't seen or heard from you in three years and you only show up now to try and kill us?"

"Yeah, get a life you dork!" said Sheila as she held tightly onto her tantrum gun cannon, but was having trouble keeping it steady in her hands. To that the alien turned its attention to her and seemed as it to stare into her very soul and beyond.

"But I'm not here to kill them I'm here to kill _you_," it said. Sheila took a step back from that and nearly lost her grip on her cannon.

"But what did I ever do?" she asked hesitantly. The alien shook its head.

"It's not what you did, it's what you're going to do," 'Y' the Alien responded. "All of this time travel, misplaced vengeance, and damaging the space-time continuum had to originally start somewhere and it started with you."

"W-what?" asked Sheila still confused. The alien then turned to R. Chase.

"Tell her who was responsible for the ChronoWerx Project that developed the time capsules that allowed yourself and the others from your time to come back here," it ordered. Chase shifted hesitantly at that.

"Tell her nothing," the Leader of Echo Base growled. The alien glared even angrily at the Leader.

"Don't think you've escaped blame for this either. Your complacency in trying to preserve what became a rapidly unraveling time stream has led to most of what ended up happening in the first place!" it shouted at him before turning back to Chase. "NOW TELL HER!"

Chase involuntarily gulped to himself but brought out his PDA and queried the appropriate information.

"President Sheila authorized the funding of ChronoWerx at Stanford as part of a black ops project developed in conjunction with the Central Intelligence Agency," he said, reading the information. Everyone was taken aback by that.

"Why would I do that?" said Sheila bewildered. "I'll admit I like to read about time travel for fun, but I have no real desire to see it be made practical. I'll also admit life has been tough, but I can't think of any event I'd like to undue, which is the only real reason I could think of for creating that technology in the first place."

"You can't think of any event, yet," the alien pointed out. "But one day an event would come that you would live to regret for the rest of your life."

"And that would be…?" began Sheila. The alien looked at her disappointed.

"If you know anything about what is going on here, you know what that event would be," said the alien. "It's the event that was responsible for all of this."

As if to emphasize the point, the alien looked at Chassey and Slick who was leaning on her for support.

"I see," said Sheila, knowingly as tears threatened to brim from her eyes. "Because I was the one responsible for her death in the first place, even though it was an accident. So clearly I intended to go back in time to my younger self and prevent her from making that decision."

"Yes…and no," the alien replied cryptically.

"Well which is which?" asked Chassey, curious. The alien looked past Sheila and towards the desert beyond as a car was heard approaching.

"You're about to find out," it answered.

"Well it had better be quick, because I don't know how much longer we can survive with all the radiation that's likely around us, regardless that the nuke went off underground," said JT. The group then turned around and looked through the haze of the desert as a blue and yellow car approached.

"Is that my Rattler?" asked Chassey as the car came to a halt nearby. The car door opened a lone figure emerged from it.

"Yes, and I think Sheila can now finally put all the pieces together in short time," the alien responded as it double checked the power reading on its blasters.

"No…," said Sheila as all the color drained from her face as she recognized the new arrival.

"Madame President," said Chase also at a loss.

President Sheila stood in front of all of them in a hooded robe.

"Hello again, Agent Chase," Sheila acknowledged. "It's also good to see the rest of you, Convoy, JT, Houston, Chassey…and even myself at such a younger age."

The others slowly nodded their heads in acknowledgement of the arrival of their new teammate while thinking about where this new twist of events was going to lead them.

"But why are you here, I can't imagine you'd risk coming all this way just to congratulate us," said JT. President Sheila nodded her head.

"You're right, I didn't," she told him as she reached into the folds of her robe for something.

"There's only one reason she'd be here," said the younger Sheila as she stepped in front of her future self. "She came here to kill Slick Clyde."

"Well, Slick's long gone. Obake took him back to the future," said Chassey perplexed. Sheila looked at her with sadness in her eyes and then at Slick himself.

"Not that Slick," was all she said as everyone watched stunned as her future self produced a handgun, aimed it at the former Vigilante turned Coyote and fired.


	15. The

Kuwait: A lone gunshot was heard in the silence over the desert.

"Slick!" shouted Chassey as she crouched down over her future husband's unconscious crumpled form, trying to stop the bleeding. The Vigilantes all trained their weapons on President Sheila and by extension R. Chase and the Leader. Chase had no choice but to train his weapon on the Vigilantes as President Sheila was his boss, even though he was astounded at the move she had just taken.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Chassey as she stood up and marched over to the older Sheila as JT took over with the compressions on Slick's wound.

"As the former and future Commander in Chief of this great nation, I'm not answerable to you," said President Sheila coldly. Chassey took a step back, even more unsettled by the future self of her sister in arms. She looked around for support, but all she saw was shock on the part of Sheila, confusion on Houston's face, and Convoy had a look of thoughtfulness on his face as he pondered his future niece's actions and what if anything he could do about it now. Instead he took Houston by the shoulder and led her over to JT and Slick to try and give them space in an issue that was none of their business.

And then Chassey once more saw the short green alien and his spacesuit wearing companion that had their laser guns trained on the younger and the older Sheilas.

"If you knew she was here already, why didn't you stop her?" she yelled at the little alien. 'Y' the Alien was a little taken aback by her outburst before it scowled at her.

"I don't care about your group's petty little squabbles!" it shouted back. "Your species can blow itself to oblivion for all I care, but when you decide to unravel the fabric of the universe in the process, that's when I take offense! Besides that, I'm also not the one you should be asking!"

Chassey felt a pounding headache coming on as she spun and looked at the younger Sheila who now had her head turned away ashamed.

"Sheila, why?" asked Chassey of her fellow Vigilante as the younger woman turned to face her with tears streaming down her face.

"Please don't make me tell you," she asked in a soft but frightened voice. Chassey sighed heavily and then took her into a hug as Sheila cried heavily into her shoulder for several moments.

"Sheila, tell me," Chassey pleaded. Sheila wiped her nose with her arm and sniffed a couple more times before sadly lowering her head and beginning to talk.

Nearby: "Is he going to make it?" asked Convoy as Houston arrived with the first aide kit from his truck.

"No idea, I'm not a doctor. But it's not looking good," JT remarked. "He was half-dead already with that concussion and now being shot isn't helping things. The only positive side was that the bullet passed clean through his shoulder blade. If it was his chest, he'd have been dead already."

"He needs a medical facility, but the only one near here is just a pile of dust," said JT looking back at the former location of the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime's headquarters.

"And how much longer do you think we can stay here with all the radiation in the atmosphere?" asked Houston.

"Well thankfully it was a primarily underground test, but we do need to get going shortly to avoid any permanent effects. But either way, we'll probably begin feeling sick shortly and it won't be pretty," JT answered as he began working on bandaging Slick's wounds. "I just can't figure why Sheila would turn on us."

"She's not Sheila anymore," Convoy figured as he looked back at Chassey, the two Sheilas, R. Chase and the Leader of Echo Base. "Not anymore than the future Clyde was to the Clyde we knew."

"Not to mention the Clyde in front of us," Houston pointed out as she looked down at his unconscious form. "Why did he join OMAR and turn on us? I know from what you said that he was often too ambitious for his own good, but how did he fall in with the Regime? They don't take outsiders too kindly."

"Could be because of this," said JT offhand as he pulled back the sleeve on Slick's left arm revealing the bionic implant. "It doesn't look fully functional, but I'm guessing it gave him all he needed to start a new career with the Regime. I doubt they knew he had it on him either seeing as he tried to cover it up."

"Oh no…," said Houston as a look of pity crossed her face as she cradled the arm in her hands. "Oh that fool had no idea what he was really getting himself into."

"Possibly. Do you want to take it off?" asked Convoy as he took out his pocket knife. Houston shook her head.

"No. In his weakened condition, the shock could kill him and besides, he put it on so he'll have to make the decision to take it back off," she stated as she shivered to herself at what she had been through as a cyborg and the battle it took to overcome her programming. Why Tanyah had become Houston 3 was a question she found herself never wanting to find the answer to.

Nearby: "So c'mon, Sheila, why did you just shoot Slick? If you were going to time travel, why not just go back to the moment when you made the decision to send the Vigilantes after me?" coaxed Chassey. She desperately wanted to return to Slick's side, but if the little alien was correct, then everything that had happened over the past couple of months relied on the answer to this question.

Sheila sighed heavily and seemed to almost retreat into herself as if to block out the outside world.

"Because what different would it have made, you were already lost by the time," she said quietly. Chassey took a step back at that.

"What?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"You were already going to marry him, our enemy. So I lost my sister a long time before then…and he was responsible for that," said Sheila ashamed at having to reveal her innermost feelings out in the open. Chassey's jaw dropped at that and she looked up at the older Sheila who continued to look off into the distance with a battle hardened gaze.

"You can't be serious," Chassey stated in utter disbelief. "Sheila, how could you possibly think that after all we've been through?"

"How can you not?" Sheila shot back with anger in her eyes. "After all the things he's done, both his present and his future version, can't you see that he's a monster and always has been? His future self tried to kill my uncle, his present self is likely all that's left now to rule OMAR, and not less than thirty minutes ago his forces were trying to kill us! You'd realize this if you weren't so wrapped up feeling sorry for him. We lost him a long time ago to evil and he's never coming back. I hate him and you should too."

Chassey took a step back and then another as she tried to gather her thoughts about what Sheila had just said.

"And that gives you the right to commit murder?" was the only thing Chassey could bring herself to say in light of Sheila's shocking revelation.

"I don't know," Sheila confessed. "But, clearly many years from now I decided it was. You're my sister, Chassey and I won't see him slowly turn you into something you're not. I'd die before I allowed that to happen."

"And therein lies the problem," said the alien cutting into their conversation. Chassey angrily turned to face him, having almost forgotten he was still there with his monkey astronaut friend.

"What, that'd she go to all these lengths just to kill one man?" she asked angrily. She wasn't sure if she was mad at Sheila, the alien, herself, or just the entire situation in general since OMAR had risen to prominence in the world.

"No, that'd she be willing to die for you," the alien told her. Chassey became even more confused by that as in the background, JT, Convoy, and Houston helped move Slick's form into the Livingston Truck's cab so he could lie down on the bed inside rather than on the harsh desert floor with the radiation still swirling about. Houston, JT, and Convoy were beginning to feel the effects of the radiation as each felt their stomachs begin churning, but they weren't about to leave until Chassey settled her differences with the two Sheilas.

"So her dying for me is a problem but you wanting to kill her, isn't?" Chassey sputtered out to the alien as the younger Sheila and R. Chase looked at the alien equally at a loss as the older Sheila continued standing there just listening to what was being said but offering no input.

"Yes," it answered. "There's more going on here than you realize. Thanks to all the time travelling going on, reality is unraveling all around us. Time is in essence being rewritten on a massive scale, but the worst is yet to come. Your companion here, or her future self, or maybe both, are going to be responsible for an event in this timeframe that will erase it from the time stream and kill every single living person on earth in the process as time rewrites itself. I won't let that happen."

"How do I know you're not just making up whatever you just said?" she accused. The alien shrugged.

"Ask him," it said, tipping its head at the Leader of Echo Base who was rubbing his bearded chin deep in thought about something.

"And who are you, exactly?" asked Chassey, finally focusing on the new arrival. The Leader considered his response to that.

"I was the leader of a secret project commissioned to try and prevent the rifts that are now forming in the time stream," the man told her.

"Commissioned by whom?" asked Chassey.

"Classified,"

"But you're no longer the leader?" she asked next.

"Not by choice; we were attacked," the Leader revealed. "But that's not important right now. He is right, the vortices are occurring up and down the space-time continuum."

"If that's the case, why didn't you do anything to stop them from occurring in the first place?" demanded Chassey. The Leader shifted uneasily at that as he looked at the older Sheila uncertainly.

"I had my reasons," was all he said. Chassey sighed heavily and held her head in her hands at yet another twist of events.

"Is he being honest?" she asked of the older Sheila to see if she would respond finally. The older woman turned to face her with a haunted expression that chilled Chassey to the bone.

"**Yes**," she said darkly. "I can clearly see that the only one way I'll truly save you is to make this reality no longer exist."

"But you can't know what new reality will take its place," Chassey pointed out.

"Any is better than this," said the adult Sheila looking around at the devastation around them before she coughed heavily and began feeling paler by the moment. Chassey sighed again for the umpteenth time and thought about what she could say next to get the adult Sheila to change her mind about whatever it was that was going to happen.

"Are you satisfied? Can I kill them now?" the alien asked as if discussing the weather. Chassey whirled to face him.

"Murder isn't the answer to stopping this!" she shouted at him. Behind her the adult Sheila advanced on the younger one.

"I don't care," the alien told her. "I've been through enough of this. I tried to peacefully warn your species about what was coming and I imprisoned for it. I tried to warn the younger self over there about what was to come and she ignored me. Then I tried to prevent the rifts from forming in the first place and was shot down by the workers of the magnificent leader over there. I won't fail again."

"Wait, take a step back. You warned Sheila about what was to come?" said Chassey perplexed.

"Yes, when I spoke with her along with the one known as Dave," answered the alien. "I presume they told you about that meeting, though I'm guessing not all of it by the looks of things."

"Well then refresh me," Chassey demanded. The alien groaned.

"Can't this wait until after I kill them?" it asked.

"No!" shouted Chassey. "Now tell me or else."

"You humans make me sick, but fine. We're all going to die anyway from this radiation so perhaps it won't matter anyway," the alien said and began his tale of meeting Dave and Sheila during the original Auto Wars.

The past: A brilliant flash lit up the evening sky as the 'Y' the Alien's Luxo Saucer, Dave's van, and Sheila's Strider materialized from thin air and a moment later so did their drivers. Dave and Sheila instantly ran off and upchucked their breakfast and lunch as the alien stood there a little annoyed at their reactions to the teleporting before going into the rear of Dave's van and plugging its padd into Dave's sensor equipment and began reading through the data he had observed.

"So it's true?" Dave needed to know as he reappeared in the rear doorway, looking greener than the alien. The alien turned in Dave's swivel chair to face him.

"That depends on what you think is true," was the cryptic response. Dave looked at him with a slightly crazed look in his eyes.

"Don't screw with me!" he shouted, pointing angrily at the alien. "I'm at wits end as it is with all that's been going on!"

"Dave, chill out!" said Sheila butting in as she pushed him lightly to get him to cool off. "I think what the little green dude is saying is he wants you to say what you think is going on and then he'll tell you if you're right or wrong."

"Right," said Dave breathing out a long breath to try and calm down as the alien gave Sheila an appreciative nod before inwardly shuddering at her vernacular. "You from another place and they from another time."

Silence ensued at that one as crickets were heard chirping.

"English, Dave," Sheila insisted. "If I didn't even understand what you said, I doubt my favorite Martian over here did either."

The alien again nodded its head appreciatively before again taking offense to her lingo.

"There's a theory which states that we are alone in the universe and that ultimately life only exists on Earth. Now if this is the case, then how do you explain all the recorded sightings of UFOs considering the theory of relativity pretty much discounts faster than light travel?" Dave asked of Sheila. Sheila was a little surprised by this line of questioning but went along with it.

"Well then they'd have to be from our world," she reasoned correctly with his theory.

"Exactly," Dave responded, pleased. "But the technology these UFOs would have to do what they do would be radically advanced beyond anything that exists today. So where then did they come from? They came from here, only they came from another time!"

It took a couple moments for that to register with Sheila. "This is what you've been so uptight about, a theory?"

"It's no theory," Dave insisted as 'Y' began pressing buttons on Dave's console. "If he's here, then that means a temporal incursion is already in progress that he's here to stop."

"Correct," the alien chimed in, refusing to say whether Dave's theory was correct or not. "This may seem like a lot for the younger of you two to fully comprehend, but temporal incursions, or to put it more simply time travel, is happening as we speak. A force from the future has made its way to the 1970s and is bent on altering the past for its own ends."

"But how can you prove that?" asked Sheila in need of saying something in order to keep up.

"I don't need to, you have the proof all along in the form of the technology you took from Site 4," 'Y' the Alien responded. "But you knew all the time, didn't you?"

Dave shifted uncomfortably at that.

"Is that true?" asked Sheila.

"Yes, I strongly suspected it after I got a good chance at looking at the weapons we acquired. They definitely were advanced, but not 'alien' and the designs seemed like logical if they were based on designs from today," Dave began. "It's all very technical and I'd rather not bore you. But it is from the future, I have little doubt of that."

"And it is also technology your species shouldn't have access to at this point in time," the alien added. "Part of my mission here was to destroy it, but I'm clearly too late for that. Instead I have to focus on my other priorities."

The alien was looking straight at Sheila who looked a little disturbed at the alien's interest in her.

"Which are?" asked Dave, oblivious to the interaction going on between the two.

"None of your concern," the alien answered as it finished its work with Dave's equipment and placed the padd back in its satchel. "I trust I told you what you needed to know and now I need you to finish off the Coyotes before they have the chance to acquire even more of this technology and use it to their own ends."

The alien hopped off the back of the van and Dave nodded his head as he closed the doors.

"It's like I always say, 'remember the past, live for today, prepare for tomorrow, fight the future'," he said, pleased. "But I've waited my whole life for the chance to meet an alien like you. This can't be the end!"

"It has to be," the alien said with a dangerous glint in his eye. "If you know too much about your own future, it could throw the entirety of reality out of synch. I won't let that happen. Now go, you have much work to do."

The hippie nodded and threw up a Vulcan salute as the alien looked at him confused before Dave sheepishly walked off to the front of his van. Sheila was about to head to hers when a brilliant flash filled the area and she turned around to see Dave and his van were gone, leaving just her and the alien.

"Is this the part where you conduct experiments on me?" she asked. "Or try and kill me?"

"You don't like him do you?" the alien asked. Sheila's blood ran cold at that.

"What?" she asked, pretending like she didn't understand.

"You don't trust him," the alien continued as it advanced on her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sheila stammered as she backed up nervously.

"You think he's a bad element that you will all one day regret having met," the alien continued. Sheila continued backing up until she was resting against her vehicle and could go no further. The alien advanced until they were only a foot apart as it stared up at her.

"**Am I correct?**" it asked with a sinister edge in its voice. Sheila whimpered slightly before unexpected anger overtook her.

"YES!" shouted Sheila finally at the alien and it took a step back from her. "I'll admit it; I do have hidden anger issues. But why do you care about my feelings?"

"I don't care about your feelings!" the alien shouted back. "But I have reason to suspect that you're going to one day act on those feelings and do something very stupid in the process. I'm warning you now, if you go after him and it's not your time to do so, I'll be waiting."

Sheila glared angrily at the alien, but really just felt emotionally overwhelmed by what had just happened. The alien reached for its PADD and was prepared to send her back. So she glared daggers at him as an angry expression crossed her face.

"**And I'll see you in-**," she began before a brilliant flash overcame her and she found herself in a hotel room next to Dave with a dangerous bout of nausea that caused her to not utter the last word of that sentence. But in her heart, she truly felt what she had said.

The future: "No, I hadn't forgotten," said the older Sheila angrily as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her younger self. "I hated you then and I still hate you now."

"Good," said the alien pleased. "That makes my job all the more easier."

"But it didn't have to be this way at all!" shouted Chassey based on what the alien had just revealed. "Sheila, you don't have to do this, you don't want to do this!"

"It's too late for that now," the adult Sheila responded as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her younger self who looked at her with a mixture of anger, confusion, and despair.

"I know what you're trying to do," said the alien dismissively. "It won't work."

"What won't work?" asked JT who had now rejoined the conversation with Convoy as Houston tried to apply what medical skills she remembered from her prior programming to Slick back at the truck.

"Although this is an extremely simplistic example, if an atom were to collide with another atom; that would cause a nuclear reaction. But if an atom were to literally collide with itself then it would create a temporal explosion. But this will be different than the temporal rewriting that's going on elsewhere. Time will cease to exist and what happens after that, even I don't know or want to find out," the alien explained. "But human beings shed skin cells at a large rate so after 40 years, the possibility of having the same skin cells as a past self is slim to none meaning physical contact likely won't work between humans from two different time periods."

"You do have a point," the adult Sheila confessed as she grabbed her younger self and pointed a gun at her back. "But that wasn't my plan."

The Vigilantes and the alien all trained their weapons on her as President Sheila used her younger self as a human shield.

"Back away from her!" said Chassey sternly as she continued trying to position herself between the alien and the astronaut chimp and the two Sheilas.

"Agent Chase, I order to defend your president," the adult Sheila ordered as the younger Sheila tried to struggle against her older self's grip to try and get free. Chase reluctantly took up a flanking position of her as he aimed his weapon at the Vigilantes.

"Don't be stupid, Chase, you know she isn't acting for the best interests of this country," Chassey warned.

"I know, but I still have to follow the chain of command," he said helplessly.

"Well I'm also your president and I order you to help me," stated the younger Sheila. "Besides that, if you don't save me now then I won't become the president in the first place!"

Chase hadn't considered that.

"Yes ma'am!" he said, pleased as he trained his weapon on the older woman. The adult Sheila chuckled at that.

"Well played," she said as she was now standing next to the Wonderwagon. "But you've already lost!"

And then several things happened at once.

As the older Sheila was reaching for the car door, Chase made a feint to go after her that distracted the woman just long enough for the younger Sheila to elbow against her and then with one stomp of her foot and then she was free and running for the safety of her uncle.

"Fire!" shouted the alien to his companion correspondingly. Chassey barely dove out of the way as the alien and the monkey began blasting everything in sight. The adult Sheila dove across to the other side of the vehicle and began trading shots back at them as the Vigilantes and Chase began firing at Sheila to keep her pinned down and also at the two new arrivals to prevent them from killing anyone.

The firing was fast and intense for several moments as 'Y' the Alien and Bobo began punching holes in the Wonderwagon even from a distance as they tried to avoid the shots being directed at them by taking cover next to their saucer.

"What happens if she succeeds?" asked Bobo as he took another shot that blew out one of the tires on the car. "Is there a way to undue what she could potentially accomplish?"

"Unknown," said 'Y' The Alien as a bullet ricocheted nearby off the craft. It looked around to once more survey the landscape when it spied R. Chase's Chrono Stinger with the Hard Time Temporal Freeze Device on top of it. "But I have an idea that could work. Cover me."

"Roger," said the chimpanzee as it fired a pattern of shots to cover the alien as it ran for the car. The alien raced noticed the Leader of Echo Base standing there oblivious to his surroundings and the firefight as he thought about what it was Sheila could be looking for to cause a temporal explosion.

"You want to be a hero then help me," 'Y' the Alien told the human as it raced past him. The Leader watched him go for the vehicle and noticed the Hard Time device as well and chased after him towards it.

Nearby: A flash filled the landscape that went unnoticed by those involved in the firefight as five vehicles roared out onto the sands. From the Manta, Stag, Palamino, a Luxury Coach Bus and Glenndale, their respective drivers piled out and began setting up equipment that they took from the bus.

"Quickly, quickly," said one of the members, evidently the leader. "We'll only have a few moments to collect the data we need."

The fight: As before, several things happened at once. The Vigilantes ran out of ammunition and the Bobo's laser guns ran out of juice. At the same time, the Adult Sheila had been fishing around in the trashed Wonderwagon for something and found it inside the glove compartment. She stood up triumphantly before being attacked by Bobo who had quickly bolted across the desert and was now snarling with simian rage as the Vigilantes also converged on her. Sheila barely succeeded in flinging him off by using one of the Wonderwagon's windshield wipers. He flew towards the younger Sheila who was immediately tackled by Chase as the monkey flew over their heads and skidded to a halt nearby.

"Go no further!" shouted President Sheila as she held up two identical objects in her hands. "I've got what I came for!"

"What the-?" began Houston confused as the Leader recognized the objects even from a distance.

"The toaster pastries," he realized in a hushed tone though no one heard him but the alien who was still working on the hard time device.

"Many years ago, I made a promise with an old friend that we would share these on the day of our victory," Sheila began. "He's not here now, so I'll just have to assure that I celebrate anyway. It's better to burn out, than fade away!"

Chase picked up the younger Sheila and slung her over his shoulder and ran away from the adult version. Chassey watched them flee and was about to continue her course towards the other Sheila when JT wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her away.

"No, I can still save her!" she shouted as she vainly tried to get free.

"Not anymore," JT said. "Believe me I know. I've lost many friends to their inner demons but I'm not going to see them take out anyone else in the process."

"No…," said Chassey as tears streamed down her face. From the cab of the Convoy's truck, a heavily wounded Slick Clyde stumbled out in a lot of pain as every breath was a struggle.

"Here it comes," he said knowingly.

Nearby: "HERE IT COMES!" shouted the leader of the new arrivals as they finished setting up.

Chrono Stinger: 'Y' the Alien looked up at the adult Sheila and then down at its PADD that was blaring angrily.

"Here it comes," it stated.

President Sheila slammed the two toaster pastries together and giant explosion rocked the area as everything went white.


	16. Future

Kuwait: The sun seemingly rose again for the second time in less than an hour as the temporal explosion rocked the surrounding area.

…And then just as quickly as it happened, it was over and the Vigilantes were now staring at a crater that was now missing one adult Sheila and one Wonderwagon.

"Wait, that was it?" shouted Chassey irate as she brushed sand off of herself before turning to the alien in the distance. "You made it sound like the end of the world was about to happen!"

"I'd keep running if I were you!" the alien shouted back as suddenly all the hair on Chassey and the others began to stand on end. Lightning bolts crackled from no discernable source behind the female Vigilante and then the lightning coalesced into one single focal point as a temporal vortex abruptly opened and began sucking in everything around it while emitting a loud freight train like sound.

The Vigilantes struggled against the strain as Convoy and Houston held tightly onto her tow truck and then let the rear tow cable loose that instantly shot across the floor towards the vortex before Convoy hit the stop button and then it began flailing around just short of the aperture. JT, Chassey, Chase and Sheila all grabbed a hold of the cable and Convoy began retracting it back in. Meanwhile, JT's Thunderbolt was wrenched out of the ground nearby and tumbled end over end before being sucked into the vortex and nearby Chassey's Vertigo went with it into seeming oblivion.

Her eyes scanning around her to avoid further dangerous debris, the female FBI Agent's eyes fell on one of the few things she couldn't afford to lose. Chassey's Rattler was also slowly being pulled backwards despite the emergency brake being set by the adult Sheila prior to exiting from it.

"Where are you going?" demanded JT as Chassey let go of the cable and fought her way towards it despite the wind and sand hitting her at every turn.

"I'm not losing my baby again!" she shouted back over the racket. JT just gave her a nod of understanding before being pulled away from her as the tow cable continued being retracted.

Nearby: The five new arrivals watched as data streamed from their satellite collectors into their computer from the vortex in the distance.

"Oh this is excellent. This is more than we could have hoped for," said the leader as scrolls of data passed into the computer. "How much longer until we have enough information for the geospatial temporal coordinates?"

"Soon, but it's slow going trying to filter out the data coming from the vortex and all the debris it's sucking in," said the woman observing the satellite feed. The winds were slowly starting to pick up where they were as the storm grew and grew and the vortex became hungrier and hungrier.

The storm: Chassey was almost to her car when a glint of metal caught her eye and she noticed the front pincers from the flying saucer coming straight at her having been wrenched free from the vehicle. Acting purely on instinct, she threw up her arms in front of her face to defend herself.

Crackle…Thoom!

The pincers suddenly blew apart from an electrical blast. Looking through the sand and dirt still pelting her face, Chassey saw Slick Clyde barely standing up with his electrical cane in his hand. He gave her a brief salute with it and then winced in pain and collapsed to the ground. Focusing her attention back on the task at hand, Chassey finally reached her vehicle and barely got inside with the wind howling all around her as she turned the key in the ignition and gunned the engine. The vehicle fought for traction for several tense moments before finally digging in and slowly moving away from the vortex.

Looking around, she saw JT, Chase, Sheila and Houston get inside the tow truck and Convoy helped Slick back into his cab and all three headed for the van and Chrono Stinger as 'Y' the Alien and Dave continued working on the vehicle.

"This had better work!" shouted the alien over the racket all around them as it connected two final wires and then the Hard Time Device began glowing and then fired. As soon as it did, the area around the van and car began an island of calm amongst a raging sea.

"Magnificent," said 'Y' the Alien pleased as he rubbed his greasy hands on a rag. "It's nice to know not everyone on this planet is a lost cause."

"Thanks," said the Leader appreciatively as he wiped his sweaty forehead.

"I just wish you had followed the advice I gave you all those years ago as well," the alien stated under its breath.

"What?" asked the Leader. The alien shook its head as if it hadn't said anything as the Tow Truck, Semi Truck and Rattler made their way into the bubble of calm while on the other side, 'Y' the Alien's saucer also limped in as Bobo disembarked from it.

The group of Vigilantes quickly approached the Chrono Stinger.

"Before you thank me, I was doing this mainly to save myself," the alien admitted. "This is only a temporary truce seeing as reality is about to end. What you see before you is only to get larger and larger the more it eats until it has consumed this planet and then the solar system and on from there until the entire universe is gone. But it won't stop there. It will then eat away across time itself until nothing is left. And that is why time travel should only be used by those responsible for their actions. Not your species which has an unusual predilection for wanting to blow itself up."

"Can we find some way to stop this sink from draining?" asked Convoy trying to get past that. 'Y' the Alien and the Leader exchanged a glance.

"Yes and no," the Leader began nervously. "In theory there is a way and it would involve activating the modified hard time device inside of the vortex. The downside being is that the switch has to be thrown at the exact moment you hit the event horizon. Given the risks involved, we can't afford to try a solution involving time delays or remote triggers. It has to be thrown by hand and whoever does it isn't coming back."

It began very quiet in the temporal bubble.

"But what's beyond the vortex?" Sheila asked.

"No one really knows," 'Y' the Alien admitted. "If there is something beyond it, it would truly exist outside time and space unlike that Echo Base of yours."

The Leader was a little miffed at that. "We did the best we could."

"If you say so," said the alien dismissively. "But if there is anything beyond that, there isn't even any speculation on the matter."

"Well there is one theory," the Leader said. The alien glared at him.

"Yes, one not even worth discussing," the alien answered. "We simply don't know what's beyond there and never will."

"**I know what's beyond it**," said a gravelly voice startling everyone. "**Destiny.**"

Slick Clyde was barely standing aloft with his cane as his left shoulder was a bloody mess and his breathing was getting more raspy and erratic.

"What are you doing here? You should be lying down and taking it easy!" shouted Chassey. Slick shook his head.

"Not while this is going on," he answered, wincing in pain at every word he said. "You need someone to go in there and stop it and so…"

"Don't you even think about it!" shouted Chassey cutting him off. "None of us should be risking our lives on some experimental technology."

"I'm dead already," Slick responded grimly. "You all have a chance of surviving beyond this, I don't. So I'm the only logical choice for this assignment."

Chassey tried to respond to that but found she couldn't and she led him to the side to speak in private as the Convoy began talking to the alien.

"Is the time device on the vehicle needed for this little stunt?" asked the trucker.

"No," said the alien as it scanned the vortex with its padd. "Why?"

The trucker turned to Chase. "I'd say your original mission is successfully completed. But you still have a responsibility to ensuring my niece's safety. So take your time device and use it on my wife's truck to take her to safety. Hopefully you two will be able to come up with a solution in another timeframe in case we fail."

"No way," said Sheila shaking her head vigorously. "We either stand together or we check out together."

Convoy shook his head. "I'm not going to let that happen. You still can have a long life ahead of you and it's my job to make sure that you see it."

Sheila groaned at that. "I'm tired of you always making decisions for me! I know this might come as a shock, but you've been gone for these past few months and I've been making my own decisions and living with the consequences! And one day, I even became president of the United States! I don't need you living my life for me anymore!"

Convoy was a little surprised by her outburst and nodded his head in silent agreement.

"I know," he admitted as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "You're grown up to be brave and strong and I admire that in you. I just want you to keep on living that kind of life for a long time to come. So I'm asking that you consider my request."

"I will Uncle C," Sheila agreed.

"And I'll keep an eye on her regardless," Chase added. "Within reason of course, I am well aware of Ms. Sheila's desire for privacy."

"Thanks," said Convoy grateful. "You'd better get moving, then."

"Except I won't allow it," the alien stated, having listened to their entire conversation. "Your prior abuse of time travel already led to the situation we're in now. Further unchecked time travel could only cause more and more issues."

"Deal with it," said Sheila in a tone that reminded Chase of the commanding tone of her future self. "You clearly couldn't prevent this from happening so I'd say we're fine taking our own chances. But you're more than welcome to try and stop us."

The alien grumbled to himself but ultimately didn't respond as Bobo hopped onto the hood of the Chrono Stinger.

"How's the ship?" 'Y' the Alien asked.

"It's slowly fixing itself, but at least it can fly again," the monkey commented as the humans stared at it.

"Go perform another system's check. We may need to get out of here in a hurry," 'Y' the Alien informed him. Bobo nodded.

"So you have a plan for getting us out of this?" he asked. The alien nodded.

"But it's contingent on those two," the alien remarked of Chassey and Slick. "Humans."

"Can't live with 'em, can't ever finish cleaning up their messes," the monkey agreed. "I'll get the ship ready."

The monkey walked off past Chassey and Slick who were heatedly arguing.

"This whole mess started because you and Sheila thought they lost me forever," Chassey said. "I know I've said this before, but we're finally together and now you want to split us up again! The future we just saw might still happen even after all that's been going on!"

"You can't know that, none of us can," Slick said shaking his head. "That's why we have to fight the future here and now."

"But that's wrong! We're supposed to be fighting _for_ the future! If all we do is just fight what's to come, we'll only be delaying the inevitable," Chassey insisted. Slick sighed heavily at that.

"Fine, then by doing this I'll be ensuring that you and Keiko will have a future," Slick told her. "She may still need a guardian one day and we clearly saw how I raised her. Let's see if you can give her a better life than I could."

"She needs both of us," Chassey responded, but even she could see how not stopping the vortex wouldn't allow for any future at all. "I just…it's not fair."

"No, it's not," Slick agreed. "But we both knew any kind of relationship between us wouldn't be just roses. Can you really be surprised that the relationship we one day had turned out the way it did?"

"No," Chassey admitted. "I wish things were different between us. More normal."

"We met during an auto war initiated by a multinational conglomerate bent on world domination, I'd say we lost any chance of normalcy before we began," Slick snorted before looking out at the vortex that was slowly growing larger and larger before holding out his hand. "It's been an honor serving with you, Ms. Blue."

Chassey shook her head as she took his hand. "No, the pleasure was all mine."

They embraced each other with a giant hug for several moments and when they pulled away Chassey was near tears.

"No regrets?" Slick asked of her. Chassey wiped off her face and nodded her head with her usual bright smile.

"Why? You're doing what I always said you would, you're going to change the world," she stated and choked back a genuine laugh. Slick smiled at that and gave her a kiss on the forehead as Chassey pulled out the sunglasses he had given her years earlier and put them on.

"Babe, you're the greatest," he said and then he threw his arm over her as she helped him hobble over to the others.

"You ready?" asked Convoy. Slick nodded his head.

"Let's do this," he confirmed and got in the front seat of the Chrono Stinger. The Coyote Operative quickly familiarized himself with the controls that were somewhat reminiscent of the Excelsior Stretch Limousine that he had flown a few years back.

"The radar is set up to give you an idea of when you'll be nearing the event horizon of the vortex," the Leader explained. "It'll give you three timed pings in succession the closer you get. On the third ping, you have to activate the Hard Time Device as quickly as you can. If you don't, you'll be past the event horizon where it won't work and put quite simply, that'll be the least of your worries."

"I got it," said Slick as he stretched himself out in the car and then tightly gripped the wheel. "Well, I'd say it's been pleasant, but it really hasn't."

Convoy laughed at that. "Good luck, kid."

The others all paid their respects including Sheila.

"I'm…sorry, but…," she said and trailed off and then repeated. "I'm sorry."

Slick nodded his head understandingly. "I don't regret the things I've done and neither should you."

Sheila nodded her head and stuck out her hand that Slick shook.

"I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I see a lot of the same drive and passion in you that I saw in myself at your age," Slick told her. "So if I might offer you some advice. When you're absolutely convinced that what you're doing is right then let nothing stand in your way."

Sheila didn't respond to that, she just walked off. Next up was R. Chase.

"I don't like you and I'll never like you, but thank you for what you're about to do. It saves me the trouble of having to kill you," he said bluntly. Slick briefly laughed at that and then became all business as he fished around in his jacket pocket for something.

"I'm guessing you saw the temporal ruptures," the Coyote stated as Chase nodded his head. "OMAR knew about them as well. On this device is all the information they managed to gather and I was reviewing it for them to try and come up with any leads as to what was happening. Since you know more about time travel than I do, maybe you can make some actual sense of it."

Chase was astounded as Slick handed him a USB flash drive, technology way in advance of what should have been possible at this time and just nodded his head in agreement to Slick's request.

"And…watch over her," Slick said finally as he glanced at Chassey out of the corner of his eye. Chase nodded his head again and walked off staring at the flash drive before taking out his PDA and plugging it in.

Next up was John Torque who said nothing but instead shook Slick's hand, but when Slick pulled it back he found himself holding a rook that had been passed to him. He looked up at JT who nodded his head once and then walked off to join the rest. Houston didn't really give her regards, but then she barely knew the man enough to care seeing as he'd tried to kill her husband. Chassey walked up and took off the chain carrying the ring on it and she leaned in and hung it off of the center rearview mirror.

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known," quoted Slick from A Tale of Two Cities and then hit the accelerator and drove away from her before she had a chance to say goodbye. The Vigilantes and the others ran for their vehicles as the bubble shut off due to the Chrono Stinger's movement and they were subsequently pounded by sand and debris headed for the vortex.

Chassey stood watching the Stinger for as long as she could before the pain of being outside became too much and she got in her car and drove away. The others had made it a point to let her be by herself in her vehicle as Sheila and Chase rode in Houston's Tow Truck while Convoy, Houston and Chase were in Convoy's cab and the Leader from Echo Base rode in his own vehicle. The flying saucer rose up from the ground and then rocketed off at an unbelievable rate of speed.

Down on the ground, the Chrono Stinger rapidly closed in on the vortex and the weapons console began pinging. Slick looked up at his destination and a thousand thoughts swirled in his head before looking at the ring dangling down and a big smile crossed his face.

"Yeehaaw! Here I come ya h-!" was what the Vigilantes heard over the radio before static ensued and then the third ping was heard and as the sun rose in the west, a second sun almost seemed to be rising from the east from a brief moment before another explosion rocked the landscape around them flinging the vehicles forward as the vortex collapsed in on itself behind them.

Nearby: The new arrivals were looking through the data they had gathered from when the vortex opened to when it closed.

"Well we did get a wealth of data, but we didn't find its coordinates," their leader told them. "But it will give us a starting point."

"To what?" asked the youngest member of the team. "What's so important that we risked our lives to try and locate?"

The rest of the team was finishing putting their equipment in the bus as the leader walked up to the one who had asked that question.

"Beyond time and space lies perhaps the deadliest weapon in existence and when we find it," began the leader pushing his finger to the youth's forehead. "It really will get hot in here. He, he, hoh."

The leader of the group then walked towards his Manta.

"So what do we do now, boss?" asked the female member of the team. The Leader turned to regard his team, one of which included Loki.

"Now that these imposters are gone, I think it's time the real Coyotes made their return appearance," declared the Leader, real name: Sid Burn, with a smile. The others happily nodded their head in approval.

"Operation Third and Final Warning is about to begin," Sid ordered and the vehicles drove off before disappearing in a bright flash. From a nearby hill, 'Y' the Alien and Bobo watched the vehicles go.

"What does it mean?" asked the monkey lowering his binoculars.

"Trouble," the alien responded. "The Leader was right about one thing, there is one going theory about what might have been beyond that vortex and whoever they were, I think they're trying to find it. So as I promised, the war never ends against the humans and their machinations. But I'm through playing around, they want a war, I'll give them a war."

The monkey nodded and he and the alien boarded their ship and shot off in a bright flash.

2019: A flash lit up the nighttime sky over the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime Complex as an Excelsior Stretch Limousine appeared from out of the past. It was immediately swarmed by OMAR security until they realized who owned the vehicle and they immediately backed off.

"And I'll need full clearance to the tower," said Obake into the radio as Clyde came too.

"Keiko, what's going on?" he asked, blearily. "The last thing I remember was…"

CLINK CLINK

Clyde looked down to find himself handcuffed to the passenger side door.

"What's this?" he asked, casually.

"Exactly what it looks like," Keiko responded simply. Clyde nodded his head.

"I knew this day would come," he responded. Keiko looked at him a little surprised.

"Then why didn't you do anything to stop me?" she asked. Clyde looked away, a little ashamed.

"Because I felt the one thing I swore to never feel again because it made me weak, love," Clyde confessed as he turned to Keiko. "When I first met you, I intended to use you as a pawn in my plans. But somehow over the course of our years together, I inexplicably came to love you as my very own daughter. I'm sorry that my emotions got the better of me."

Keiko nodded her head in understanding as a tear threatened to escape. "For what it's worth father, I have come to love you as well. It too blinded me to the truth that your desire to change the past was not in keeping with the teachings you instilled in me over the years. I too should've stopped you before it was too late and so I am sorry as well. But if there's one thing mother taught me during our brief time together, it was that love is not a liability but an asset because it is my love for you that is going to save you."

Clyde saw the ever looming central tower and he knew what was coming.

"Keiko I-," he began when Keiko cut him off.

"Don't try and convince me to change my mind," she warned as tears were now flowing down her face. Clyde shook his head.

"I would never do that. I just wanted to say…that I'm proud of you. I always have been since the moment we first met when you tried to kill me," Clyde acknowledged as more tears streamed down Keiko's face despite her training to remain emotionally neutral at all times. "Over these past few weeks, you have proven to me one thing, that you are Keiko Uzumi no more, you have rightly earned the title Keiko Uzumi-Clyde."

"Thank you papa," she said as she set the vehicle on auto-pilot and prepared to bail.

"Wait!" Clyde called out to her. "Computer, release data file: Operation Third and Final Warning."

A flash drive stuck suddenly shot out from the central stick. Keiko picked it up and looked at it confused.

"Back when I first started working for the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime I learned about a top secret black ops project that was developed by the original board," Clyde explained. "I never figured out their whole plan, but I did manage to discover some of the pieces to the puzzle and some of OMAR's actions back in 1979 seemed to align with those pieces I found. Something big is about to happen and I want you to be aware of it."

"Ummm, thank you," said Obake as she prepared to bail. "Anything else to add?"

"That you're going to have to make some hard choices in the future and I hope you'll understand my decisions when you have to make them as well," stated Clyde. "But if you ever need me, thanks to time travel capabilities, I'll always be here."

"I love you too, daddy," said Keiko and then she bailed out and the limousine soared into the open hanger ahead.

"Chassey, I'm sorry that I failed you," was Slick's final words as the limousine slammed into the far wall and exploded taking the tower with it. Soon residual explosions tore across the compound until it was no more.

On the ground, Keiko entered into a hidden garage and emerged driving a Vertigo as she fled the scene. Next to her was a laptop with the flash drive plugged in and displaying the information about the project her father had been so concerned about.

1979: The Vigilantes were now safely back somewhere in the United States thanks to some strange device the Leader of Echo Base had that managed to transport them from one location to the next. Unfortunately it also had the effect of unsettling stomachs and so it had taken a few minutes for them to regroup.

"So is that it; are we done?" asked Chassey confused. "I can't imagine it was that easy."

"Well it is and it isn't," figured Chase. "The battle is over, but the war goes on. Time is being altered all around us by someone or something and I'd imagine that we're going to encounter them sooner or later."

"Which is why I need to get going, I still have much work to do," said the Leader heading for his van. "I wish you all luck but I hope we don't cross paths again. If we do, it could mean disastrous events are about to unfold like they almost just did."

He was nearly in his van when Sheila called out after him.

"Just don't be a stranger Dave," she said to the stunned shock of the others. The Leader didn't respond to her accusation as to his identity, he just got in his van and drove off. The others didn't know how to respond to that and so they didn't.

"What do we do now, boss?" asked JT of Convoy, grateful to be able to ask that question once more. The trucker smiled.

"Just keep on truckin'," he responded truthfully. "Life is what you make of it and I'm not about to be bothered by things I have no control over…as I believe I already told you. Though now I think you really understand that."

"Yes, yes you did and yes I do," said Chase with a smile. "So where will you go?"

"Back to work, I've still got plenty of runs to make," the trucker said. "So I'll see all of you when the next crisis arises that only vigilantes can take care of."

He gave an uncharacteristic brief hug to Sheila who whispered her goodbye to him as he got in his truck and started it up.

"And where he goes, I go," said Houston tipping her head. "Sheila, take good care of my tow truck. I'll be back for it one day."

Sheila nodded her head with a brief smile through her grimy exterior as Houston got in the truck as well and it rumbled off into the distance, horn honking all the way.

"What about you, JT?" asked Chassey curious. Slick had been friends with JT the most out of the group and his passing had no doubt impacted the bounty hunter to some degree.

"Well it'll really be just like old times since once again I've lost my ride during these auto wars," he said with a broad grin. "But I'll be back on top in no time. I'll take out a loan at the nearest town for a new vehicle and then I'll pay it up by hunting down and turning in Nina Loco. The cars have been built to roll the dice, bro."

He gave them a thumb's up and picked up his ever present duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder before heading off down a stretch of highway towards a town visible in the distance. R. Chase began laughing hysterically for some reason as he watched the bounty hunter depart.

"And what's so funny about a man losing his ride?" asked Sheila upset.

"No, it's not that," said Chase shaking his head as he wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just…in my timeline, Nina Loco wasn't only some bounty that John Torque failed to bring in one day. She was his wife."

Sheila's eyes bugged out at that as Chassey just shook her head in disbelief.

"So what's next for you, future boy?" asked the FBI Agent. Chase shrugged.

"I think I'll take a vacation for once and then probably go back to Langley," he answered in reference to the CIA Headquarters. "I made some inroads with them over the past two years and since I don't really have a home to go back to after all that's happened, I'll just stay in this time."

"Hope you like it, the seventies are just about over and the eighties are about to begin," Chassey remarked.

"Yeah, it's going to be an interesting decade," Chase agreed. "And I want you to know Madame Sheila that I will continue to watch over you as best I can. Incidentally, I want to wish you a happy birthday. Your twentieth I believe."

"Well thanks," said the former teenager a little flustered. "In the meantime I've got to get back to class. How I'll explain my months long absence I have no idea."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I still have enough connections at the Bureau to let you off the hook," said Chassey and then upon noting Sheila's suddenly forlorn expression. "And I'll also put in a recommendation for you should you ever decide to join the bureau."

"Really?" said Sheila shocked. "You'd do that for me after all that happened…after all I did?"

"Of course I would. Sheila, you are who you choose to be and you are not that woman we saw last night," Chassey assured her and before Sheila could protest, she raised a hand to silence her. "I know because I truly think of you as my sister and there were two things she never heard that I am going to tell you now. I love you, Sheila and more importantly…I forgive you."

"I love you too big sister," said Sheila in tears as she raced over and hugged Chassey as she cried into her chest. She cried for several moments and then finally let go and took a step back with a big smile on her face.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get on with the mission, hmm?" she asked in a near copy of Chassey's original catchphrase.

"Don't be shy sweetie pie," said Chassey with a smile. Sheila then walked up to R. Chase and gave him a hug as well to the CIA Agent's surprise as he lightly put up his hands and patted her on the back.

"I like you too, but from a professional standpoint," added Sheila. Chase gave her a grin.

"Yes ma'am," said Chase and then offered her his arm in an eerie parallel of days of futures past. "May I escort you to your vehicle?"

"You may do so," Sheila agreed as she hooked her arms around his. "I take it this is not the first time offering such a service."

Chase shook his head but walked with her to the tow truck and opened the door for her and helped her in.

"Thank you again Agent Chase for your services in this matter," said Sheila. "I'll expect periodic reports from you from now on."

"Of course, boss," Chase agreed. "Safe and happy trails."

Sheila nodded and gave him a salute that was returned and then she drove off headed east. That left Chase and Chassey.

"Going my way?" he asked, hopeful. Chassey nodded her head.

"Let's just get one thing clear, I think you like me more than I like you, but you defended Sheila and for that you have my thanks," Chassey stated. Chase nodded his head.

"Then let's start over. Hello Ms. Blue, my name Agent R. Chase of the CIA and I hope that we can be friends," began Chase holding out his hand. Chassey gave him an appreciative smile and she shook his hand.

"Yes, I believe that can be arranged," she mentioned as she shook his hand and the two got in and Chassey took off headed east. After a few moments of driving in silence, Chassey noticed a strange look on Chase's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, concerned. Chase looked at her and waved it off.

"It's probably nothing, but I have the strangest feeling we've forgotten something or someone," he mentioned. "Oh well, I doubt it was that important in the long run of things. Like Convoy said, keep on truckin'."

The car drove on.

The Middle East: From a blurry horizon, the sound of engine on its last legs was heard. From the distance, a heavily damaged prison bus appeared trailing smoke before slowly rolling to a halt as the engine coughed and died. From the inside, the door opened and out stumbled a heavily bruised and battered Molo who was drenched in sweat with his shirt wrapped around his head.

"Well, Molo, what now?" asked the youngster confused. He had fled as soon as he recognized the flying saucer from New Mexico and he had little doubt that decision had saved his life after the trio of blasts that had rocked the horizon behind him.

"Dallas…dallas…dal…," a voice was heard gurgling nearby that caused the youth to jump. He looked around and then his eyes fell on what he thought was a mirage. It was a heavily damaged yellow car poking out of the ground. It was then that he realized what it was, it was the Palamino XIII. An idea formed in his head and he ran for the first time in his life towards the vehicle. Opening the door to the car, Dallas XIII fell out in a shower of sparks and Molo ignored it, instead focused on the dashboard...more specifically, the ChronoWerx ChronoWarp 2019.

"Please work, please work, please work," the youth pleaded as he placed the device on the hood and began cranking the various dials and pressing various buttons on the device.

HUMMMMM

"YES!" he shouted to the sky as the device activated and displayed a date. "Watch out world, it's time to take a seat because I'm driving!"

He hit a button and a flash filled the sky engulfing himself, Dallas, and the corresponding vehicles and then they vanished without a trace to another time.

Alaska, Hexagon Petroleum HQ: Red Blue was sitting alone in his boardroom reading the newspaper that had images of the explosions that had completely engulfed the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime Facility. Already there were celebrations far and wide over this, even though the world was still no farther away from the brink of societal collapse. But to Red, he was even more confused than ever about where this left his standing in the global oil market.

OMAR had been his competitor for almost the entire past decade and they were also the most ruthless he had ever run across. That he had been making inroads with them after so many years and achieving peace was a huge victory towards giving him peace of mind. But now that OMAR was completely gone, he found himself scared for the first time in a long time.

KNOCK KNOCK

"Yes?" he asked. The door opened and his secretary walked with a large envelope.

"This just came for you," she told him and gave it to him and then walked back out. Looking at the envelope, it had the words: Third and Final Warning written on it. He opened it up and out slid what looked like a small version of a laserdisc in a plastic case along with a portable player. He popped the disc into the player and was surprised when an image greeted him of Number Eight.

"Greetings, Mr. Blue. If you're watching this message it means you're no doubt aware that OMAR's primary facility in Kuwait has been wiped off the face of the map by a nuclear explosion," Eight began. "Undoubtedly you are very concerned by this fact, which is understandable given the in-roads we had just made with each other. I want you to rest assured that this is all part of a larger plan called Operation Third and Final Warning. The details will be sent to you as time progresses, but right now you need only know one thing."

Red leaned forward, anxious to hear this.

"This is not the end of the Oil Monopoly Alliance Regime…it is only just the beginning. The beginning of the endgame to finally finding the key to conquering the world," Eight continued. "So rest assured that OMAR will rise again."


End file.
